Robots could take over 38% of U.S. jobs within about 15 years, report says

[Zorro]

More than a third of U.S. jobs could be at “high risk” of automation by the early 2030s, a percentage that’s greater than in Britain, Germany and Japan, according to a report released Friday.

The analysis, by accounting and consulting firm PwC, emphasized that its estimates are based on the anticipated capabilities of robotics and artificial intelligence, and that the pace and direction of technological progress are “uncertain.”

It said that in the U.S., 38% of jobs could be at risk of automation, compared with 30% in Britain, 35% in Germany and 21% in Japan.

The main reason is not that the U.S. has more jobs in sectors that are universally ripe for automation, the report says; rather, it’s that more U.S. jobs in certain sectors are potentially vulnerable than, say, British jobs in the same sectors.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-pwc-robotics-jobs-20170324-story.html

[Kimchijeon]

1. Progress is a good thing, this just means that we need to look for employment growth

in other sectors though... there's surely plenty of possibilities, like rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure for example? That'd make more sense than some dumbass wall on the border, and plenty of work that needs to be done on failing bridges, highways, dams, etc.

[CK_John]

2. Yet article says not to worry, not need to prepare. Forget UBI

everybody will learn to build bridges, highways, and dams that normally come from some place else.

[KT2000]

3. just hope those robots

learn how to tighten screws properly. The pulley/blade unit on my mower fell off on the third use. Pulled my laundry out of the washer and the whole agitator unit came out with the clothes. Repairman said I was lucky - most of the time - this means the washer is trashed.
The humans programming the robots need to gear up on quality control using humans.

[Binkie The Clown]

4. When I was in high school in 1962, and reading science fiction...

...it occurred to me getting from the present day world to the "ideal" world of the future required a lot of pain for a lot of people. I.e., from a world where one is required to "earn a living", to a world where robots do ALL the work and all humans can live a creative life of leisure, spending their time learning and bettering themselves. Somewhere along that continuum you find yourself at a place where half of the people are put out of work by robots, yet the economy still hasn't adjusted to the fact it is no longer necessary for people to "earn a living."

The result is not a smooth transition to a perfect world of peace and abundance. The transition is one of chaos as the old guard tries to keep the status quo going while it becomes more and more obvious that the status quo no longer works.

I'd be worried about how mankind is going to make that transition, except for one overriding fact. The way things are going right now, civilization will go extinct before the robots get the chance to free us all from drudgery. We are killing the planet, so the thing that should alarm us is not "robots will take my job in 15 years," but rather "there won't be enough food to feed me in 15 years." and "Where will I find drinkable water in 15 years."

[Ilsa]

5. It's just Science fiction, but in The Expanse,

Most people on Earth are considered to be Takers, because there just isn't much work for them. Whereas on Mars and in The Belt, people are working hard to make a new world (on Mars), mining, farming, etc.