2 mins. reading time
Oxford Economics have predicted that by 2030, up to 20 million manufacturing jobs may be replaced by robots. Whilst robots and automation appear to be more effective than employee in terms of consistency in working, needing less breaks and not needing salaries, it begs the question: should automation really be replacing humans in the workplace?
In some cases, yes, it may be best for robots to replace humans. This is evident in the case of Amazon factories owned by Jeff Bezos who has often showed a lack of care for his employees. In terms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Amazon workers are barely fulfilling the security element and are essentially being treated as robots already. Due to the huge amount of pressure put on them, it’s likely that the quality of goods is falling due to the need to fulfill quotas. So, in Amazon’s case, it may be more appropriate for robots to replace workers.
On the other hand, roles including human resources, service providers and teaching cannot really be replaced by robots. These roles require empathy and the ability to react to new or uncertain situations and it is questionable whether automated systems can be developed well enough to react in the same way that humans would.
It is largely dependent on the role, management style and costs involved as to whether robots can and should replace humans in the workplace but due to the acceleration of modern technology, it is inevitable that jobs in the future are at risk of being replaced by robots.
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