Robots and employment

[dave moore]

I was in our local supermarket the other day,it's just a small one but noticed they now have these self purchasing machines,that's technology for you but now only half of the checkouts that must mean a few jobs gone .In the future they are focasting robots to do all kinds of processes within many industries ,this can only lead to .doing away with jobs that were previously done by humans in my opinion.An example for instance a friend pointed out to myself some years ago was that he was working on the construction of the M1 to shift all the soil rubble etc.5men on each side of a truck loaded it with shovels not long after the JCB came along and did the loading in no time .What he was getting at was thousands of jobs disappeared overnight .Technology is wonderfull thing but what about all the unemployment is going to create.Id like members thoughts on how they think about robots verses employment.

[Doc Vernon]

Indeed Dave
Robot thingies are OK in some ways but to put these things in Super Markets etc and taking Jobs from people is NOT ON!
There are so many people struggling now to make ends meet,how on Earth do they expect them to carry on with no Cash Flow!
They always talk about creating Employment and trying to keep people off the Dole,this is no way to go about it !
But on the other side of things I dare say if this sort of Robotic Mania did get hold it surely would not be in our time!
Well lets hope so!
Cheers

[Fouro]

Progress wont allow you to stop it happening and when you become overwrought suffering from robotitis, the NHS will be called upon to reintroduce the Liverpool Pathway to take care of you, no matter how old you are.

FOURO.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Dave.
The other day I was listening to a bloke on the wireless talking about how the manufacturing industry has gone, you have seen the way cars are now assembled using machines, and as you say machines are the forerunners of robots, he said it will continue unabated, but the only thing was that it was only a select few people who were benefiting from this progress. The biggest number of jobs are now in IT. One of the few jobs they can't automate is buildings like high rise, but I remember back in the sixties in NZ a company built houses in a yard and trucked them to a site, I worked in a yard building garages in those days, I used to build two a day by myself all laid out on a bench, then a semi took them both out and two men erected them in a day, now with a nail gun I suppose they could build faster, so I suppose you can call even a nail gun a robot.
Cheers Des

[Louis the fly]

Companies are always looking for ways to reduce cost and increase profit. Robots do not take holidays , go sick , need meal or toilet breaks and they will work 24 hours a day , 7 days a week. The future is bright for computer programers and robotic engineers for those who do not reach high level university education the future is very bleak.

[happy daze john in oz]

Self serve checkouts have been around here in Oz for over ten years and continue to increase in numbers. The companies say it is what the people want???????????????? Do not recall being asked that question.

Now we have a company here in Oz that has developed a brick laying machine, that along with the frames being made in a factory setting by robotic machines will see a major change in house building.

The feral opposition leader says if he wins gov he will introduce a whole new apprentice scheme to take in more industries. The only thing that will take in is giulable people, what industries are left needing apprentices?

[Ivan Cloherty]

I am always told by some bright (dumb!) thing in a shop/store/supermarket etc when in a queue that I can always use the self service checkout sir, I always reply, 'why? do you want to do your colleague out of a job!'

Also in shops they have computer terminals with notice 'if you don't see it in store' order on line here' then they wonder why there are so many empty shops in their town, we have 68 empty shops in Torquay, no doubt it will increase

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates, What happens when they go wrong? in your local super market? you get chase down the road by a very big african in uniform like a policeman, who will tell you to come back to the shop in broken english, {NOT very nice on a dark night} The machine was broken and took my money like a one arm bandit, the shop boss gave me a refund , it over charge me , and said he was very sorry? this is Not a rare happening? but they dont like customers' to know about it.

[j.sabourn]

" Don't like customers to know about it", is that the big Zulu chasing you down the road or being short changed, or both Louis. JS

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates , Hi J Sabourn the machines are only as good as they are made, but Big black Africans can move plenty fast to catch up with people, I did not see him until he was next to me? good job he was not armed, Jobs done by robots I have worked in a food factory one line was fully automated, one man run the whole production his job was to sit and read a book or papers for 8 hours a shift, the controls were in front of him no foreman or anyone else to both him. The other line was out dated 30 people worked like slaves, the machines were 40 years old and broke down often, Why did they keep it going? the fully automated line cost £ 2 million to buy a lot of money back then? people were cheaper !!!