A new McKinsey Global Initiative report cautions that as many as 375 million workers will need to switch occupational categories by 2030 due to automation. The work most at risk of automation includes physical jobs in predictable environments, such as operating machinery or preparing fast food. Data collection and processing is also in the crosshairs, with implications for mortgage origination, paralegals, accounts and back-office processing.
To remain viable, workers must embrace retraining in different fields. “The model where people go to school for the first 20 years of life and work for the next 40 or 50 years is broken,” states the report. “We’re going to have to think about learning and training throughout the course of your career.”
McKinsey believes we may see a massive transition on a scale not seen since the early 1900s, when workers shifted from farms to factories. A needed plan would include a big investment from the private and public sectors in new training programs and workforce transition programs.
Despite the looming challenges, the report revealed how workers can move forward. While the introduction of PCs in the 1980s eliminated some jobs, it created many more roles. Workers who are willing to develop new skills should be able to find new jobs. “The dire predictions that robots are taking our jobs are overblown. Yes, work will be automated, but there will be enough jobs for everyone in most areas,” McKinsey writes. The company adds that automation will not displace jobs involving managing people, social interactions or applying expertise. Gardeners, plumbers, child and elder-care workers are among those not facing risk.
Classroom discussion questions:
- What do your students think about the concept of career-long training and learning?
- How does this change impact the field of OM?