Ever since drones began to be used for purposes outside of warfare, there has been panic among some who believe that these unmanned aerial vehicles will begin taking our jobs from us…but is this panic justified?
The reality is that drones may replace some of our jobs over the coming years, but it would be foolish to overreact to this, as the situation is a little more complicated than it first appears.
The truth behind drones and the job market:
- Drones make business services more efficient
Companies will of course save money if drones replace some of their labor costs, but drones also make the services that some businesses supply – such as package deliveries – more efficient, meaning that costs can be reduced without too many workers having to lose their jobs.
- Many industries will not be affected by advances in automatons
If you look at the agricultural sector of the labor market, much of what they do is already automated and mechanized, and drones may simply replace technology such as satellites that were previously used to monitor crops and the like.
As technology advances (and it always will), there will be some jobs, such as those that are repetitive or risky for humans to perform, that may be replaced by drones or other such technology, and that is simply an unavoidable result of progress and skill. But, if drones and automatons are going to be used far more widely in the future, then that will create a whole host of jobs, from drone designers to data analysts.
- Some industries will be affected by the continued use of drones
It’s hard to deny that some tasks, like collecting data about infrastructures or delivering emergency supplies, are made more wholly more efficient with the use of drones, and the film industry is already taking advantage of drones to capture aerial footage where previously they would have to use expensive technology such as helicopters. Land surveys are also made easier with drones, as are mining projects and even rescuing people from natural disasters or accidents.
The importance of understanding that automating, isn’t the same as replacing:
While we perhaps can’t deny that automation is going to change the future face of the job market, we must also try and put that into perspective. There will be few industries that will be 100% automated, but some of the activities performed within that industry, may be.
And, just as robots or drones replace old jobs, they will often create new ones, too. No robot or drone can repair itself, and the types of jobs required to complete these repairs or upgrades, would be advanced and require in depth skill, knowledge and training.
Some jobs will vanish altogether due to continued and extended drone use, and advances in similar automated technology, that much we do know to be true, but the future of the job market need not be all doom and gloom, and automation will undoubtedly create a whole host of new job categories that will need to be filled
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