Robots & Jobs: The A3 Message

Jeff BurnsteinA3 President

The A3 Message

1. The inability to compete is the biggest threat to jobs, not automation.

2. Technology advances have always changed the nature of jobs.

3. If we focus on our fears, we will miss the opportunities.

4. The skills gap is real & requires our attention.

First Point

The inability to compete is the biggest threat to jobs, not automation.

How To Survive the Robot-Fueled Jobs Apocalypse

No, Robots Aren’t Killing the American Dream

Robots Seem to Be Improving Productivity, Not Costing Jobs

Evidence That Robots Are Winning the Race for American Jobs

Now We've Got To Worry About The Foreign Robots Taking Jobs

From Good American Robots

Why Robots Will Be The Biggest Job Creators In World History

Picking on Robots Won’t Deal with Job Destruction

Robots in the Workforce? Each 1 Costs 6 Jobs, a New Study Says

Robots’ Impact on Human Jobs

 ‐

 5,000

 10,000

 15,000

 20,000

 25,000

Industrial Robot Shipments vs. Unemployment Level in the U.S.

Industrial Robot Shipments (USA) Unemployment (USA, Thousands, End of Period)

2001 Recession

Great Recession

More Robots, More Jobs

More Robots, More Jobs

Source: US Bureau of Labor statistics and RIA data

In the United States…

2010 2016

New Robot Shipments

Manufacturing Jobs

Unemployment Rate

+ 136,748

+ 894,000

Declined 5.1%

Productivity Is Key to Economic GrowthAutomation…1. Improves productivity & competitiveness2. Generates profits that bring in additional investment & jobs3. Supports entire supply chains & communities

• More than 100,000 robots deployed worldwide (45,000 in U.S.)• Added 80,000 new warehouse employees in U.S. since acquiring Kiva (‘12)• Plans to hire 100,000 more employees in next 18 months• Robots have helped them be more profitable and employ more people

Sources: NYT “As Amazon Pushes Forward With Robots, Workers Find New Roles”; Photos by Bryan Anselm for NYT

Example: Amazon

Second Point

Technology advances have always changed

the nature of jobs.

We’ve Seen Premature Predictions Before…

"We are being afflicted with a new disease of which some readers may not have heard the name, but of which they will hear a great deal in the years to come—namely, technological unemployment“- Keynes, 1930

“Labor will become less and less important. . . More and more workers will be replaced by machines. I do not see that new industries can employ everybody who wants a job”- Leontief, 1952

• Innovation has always led to new and better jobs

• We can’t even imagine the new products, industries, or jobs that automation will help create

• Example: 20 years ago, were there jobs called “Search Engine Optimization Specialist” or “App Developer” for iPhone?

Common Sense Proves Naysayers Wrong

Changing Job Titles Reflect Changing Tasks

• Occupations with 10% more new job titles grow 5% faster• A3 members have a long list of new job titles they need to fill…

Mobility Technicians

Mechatronics Technicians Computer Vision Designers

Machine Algorithm Designers

Robotics Engineers

Vision Systems Engineers

Industrial Network Integration Engineers

Cyber‐Security Experts

Predictive Equipment Analytics Specialists

IIoT & Data AnalystsMaterial Movement Controls Engineers

Robot Designers 

Robotic Application Developers

Source: The Race Between Machine and Man, MIT

Third Point

If we focus on our fears, we will miss the

opportunities.

IBM Watson, the first open cognitive computing technology platform, will be used in robots of the future

Watson can tap into data and knowledge that can help diagnose diseases and more quickly identify cures

This will lead to longer and healthier lives!

A.I. & Machine Learning

Autonomous Vehicles

Fourth Point

The skills gap is real & requires our

attention.

The Skills Gap & Its Impact

Source: Deloitte and Manufacturing Institute

By 2025…3.4 million manufacturing jobs will be needed

1.4 million are expected to be filled2.0 million jobs will be left unfilled due to the skills gap

Bridging the Skills Gap with Innovative Training

• Apprenticeship programs declined 40% in the U.S. from 2003‐2013 1

• STEM jobs outnumbered the unemployed 2:1from 2009‐2012 1

• STEM employment will grow 17% through 2018 1

• Traditional—and expensive—collegiate career route is giving way to parallel work‐study tracks 

• Employers now offering on‐the‐job skills training to bridge the gap themselves and incentivize high demand occupations

1 The Manufacturing Institute

The A3 Message

1. The inability to compete is the biggest threat to jobs, not automation.

2. Technology advances have always changed the nature of jobs.

3. If we focus on our fears, we will miss the opportunities.

4. The skills gap is real & requires our attention.

A3 ResourcesLearn more & follow developments online at:

www.a3automate.org/robots-and-jobs

Engineering Our FutureJay Flores, Rockwell Automation