While it’s impossible to to predict what work will look like in the future, we do know that automation is wiping out middle class jobs. According The Week Magazine, (March 17, 2017) “robots are now replacing human workers faster than replacement jobs are being created.” According to a 2015 Oxford University study, “about 47 percent of today’s jobs are vulnerable to automation. These include many white-collar professions like accounting and legal services. Automation allows companies to make greater profits more efficiently. But what is the impact on workers?
As educators, what skills do we prepare students for? What jobs are the last to be automated? How do we protect them from the next great wave of automation?
There are some jobs that are less likely to be automated including teaching and senior care. Schools can also provide retraining for people in current jobs.