The history and future of workplace automation (2015)
Anecdotally I see this transition to higher production yield per person happening in real time, we are closing down some old factories and trying to re-train people to work in the new one being built in its place and it&#x27;s very hard.<p>A significant number of floor staff only have highschool degrees and are being speedrun through an associate&#x27;s to stay with the company on a higher staff grade. Others are doing months of on the job training to be brought up to the level that they can still be employed. I know some just can&#x27;t hack it and are quietly being let go.<p>I know we are already asking our youth to mortgage their lives to get higher education, but what about a 50 year old woman who has been working for 30 years and still has 15 to go, but their job is completely gone? Do we send them back to college? This is already happening en mass in Japan, elderly are working entry level jobs because their old jobs are replaced. I think the college and retraining argument are only going to become more entwined in the next 20 years.