History of automation fewer jobs better jobs

Concerns over the negative impact of innovation diminished. During the second half of the 19th century, it became increasingly apparent that technological progress was benefiting all sections of society, including the working class. These arguments were formalised in the early 19th century by the classical economists. Yet some economic thinkers began to argue against these fears, claiming that overall innovation would not have negative effects on jobs. In the 18th century fears over the impact of machinery on jobs intensified with the growth of mass unemployment, especially in Great Britain which was then at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution. Due to generally low unemployment in much of pre-modern history, the topic was rarely a prominent concern. Prior to the 18th century, both the elite and common people would generally take the pessimistic view on technological unemployment, at least in cases where the issue arose. Yet the issue of machines displacing human labour has been discussed since at least Aristotle's time.

The phrase 'technological unemployment' was popularised by John Maynard Keynes in the 1930s, who said it was a 'only a temporary phase of maladjustment'. Whereas pessimists contend that at least in some circumstances, new technologies can lead to a lasting decline in the total number of workers in employment. Optimists agree that innovation may be disruptive to jobs in the short term, yet hold that various compensation effects ensure there is never a long-term negative impact on jobs. Participants in the technological unemployment debates can be broadly divided into optimists and pessimists. The view that it can lead to lasting increases in unemployment has long been controversial. That technological change can cause short-term job losses is widely accepted. A contemporary example of technological unemployment is the displacement of retail cashiers by self-service tills and cashierless stores. During World War II, Alan Turing's Bombe machine compressed and decoded thousands of man-years worth of encrypted data in a matter of hours. Historical examples include artisan weavers reduced to poverty after the introduction of mechanized looms. Just as horses were gradually made obsolete as transport by the automobile and as labourer by the tractor, humans' jobs have also been affected throughout modern history. Technological change typically includes the introduction of labour-saving 'mechanical-muscle' machines or more efficient 'mechanical-mind' processes ( automation), and humans' role in these processes are minimized. It is a key type of structural unemployment. Technological unemployment is the loss of jobs caused by technological change. In the 21st century, robots are beginning to perform roles not just in manufacturing, but also in the service sectorВ вЂ“ in healthcare, for example.

History of automation fewer jobs better jobs