Free Essay about the Technological Advancements and the Job Market

The business environment is dynamic, and the recent technological advancements have significantly altered the function and the importance of labor in the workplace. The technology was first introduced as a little intervention to make work more manageable, and interact with humans in promoting efficiency and accuracy during job executions. According to Vasant (2017), work has evolved, and the modern society has integrated technology with their day to day life, either at an individual level or the community in common. The primary reason for adopting technology in work especially during the early industrial era was to reduce the real grunt, thus allowing the human labor force to increase their productivity and income. At such times, the machines utilized help from human beings for them to engage in productive work. However, the author states that the recent developments have enabled computers to act independently since they can figure out the underlying operations and decisions on their own. For instance, technicians have developed robots that are able to learn, internalize, and execute actions previously considered as human-related. Hence, advances in technology have reduced the time used in the execution of tasks thus saving time, and also overcame the errors made by human beings during the performance of their day to day tasks. However, machines are expected to significantly alter the job market and especially the duties formerly considered impossible for computers, the skills and expertise required, job replacement and trust between humans and technology.

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The advances in technology are expected to affect the job market, where modern machines have redefined the former boundaries perceived by the human labor force. Primarily, the devices were to depend on human beings to operate and undertake acts such as cognitive work. However, the introduction of Artificial Intelligence has surpassed such expectations and limits, to pursue work that needs intelligence or critical thinking. For instance, a Hong Kong's Hanson Robotics has developed a humanoid robot, which has been named Sophia (McBride, 2017). The robot has a significant portion of intelligence present in human beings. It can interact with people, undertake specific tasks, even ones that were previously considered impossible. Through the utilization of computer algorithms, it can b able to communicate with people through active conversation through the use of blockchain technology. Therefore, this development validates the concerns raised in the article on how such developments have redefined their expectations and boundaries. Coincidentally, Sophia has been taunted to engage and internalize human speech, thus participating in active conversations. Such a scenario has resulted in perceived threats against the operations and job security of former employee due to the perceived change in the business environment. Ideally, Sophia is expected to venture into healthcare sector, education, therapy, and the customer service fields. Therefore, this indicates a complete redefinition of the earlier expectations from the society and the workforce.

Moreover, the trust awarded to machines is proliferating across all occupations. Initially, the choice to determine whether to use devices in an organization were based on the opinions on the level of trust, especially the probability to make errors during execution of tasks. Machines henceforth have been developed to eliminate chances of significant mistakes. This has created a strong trust between the employers and technology. Therefore, most business owners in the current society favor their use to human beings. According to of the author, most of the machines have a fixed degree of accuracy, and in most cases, such rates are higher than human beings. For instance, the automation of the surgery process has reduced instances of mistakes, which has mostly gained trust from the health practitioners from all over the globe. Such a process is not fully automated, but advanced surgical assistance systems are utilized to increase the preciseness of the surgery process (Woo, Yang, Lee, and Kang, 2014). Moreover, the use of healthcare decision support system utilizes software such as the clinical decision support system to facilitate faster and accurate detection and diagnose disease. Such technologies have increased the trust levels held by both patients and the doctors due to their advanced degrees of accuracy.

Additionally, the advancement in technology has significantly altered the skills and expertise required in various fields, which have been infiltered by such advanced technology. The author uses the law profession to indicate how these developments have affected the multiple functions and skills required for one to prosper in such occupations. Most individuals relied on the assumption that machines would not be able to perform non-routine jobs. The author gives the example of drivers to exemplify this point. In the past, driving was considered as a non-routine job. However, as the times go by, the developments in technology have enabled the development of automated vehicles. According to Kersten et al. (2018), the Self-driven cars will utilize media such as radar over the camera, hybrid sensory-fusion algorithms, and camera over radar, which improves the operations of a vehicle, to an extent where such cars that can be able to drive safely and without the need of skilled drivers. Hence, these occurrences have ultimately redefined the nature of jobs, especially those that were considered only to be handled by human beings.

According to BBC (2015), personnel such as skilled trades, sales, and customer care services, caring and leisure and unskilled labor force pose the most significant probability of losing their jobs due to the automation of the previously secure job. The article states that machines are currently displacing human beings in their previous occupations. This has been associated with the fact that the most employers consider the high costs involved in hiring human labor, which is higher than the overall cost of purchasing and maintaining such machines. For instance, the sales process such as Amazon platform has been automated. Buyers can now adequately access their products and track them until they are delivered. The whole process is automated, and the clients receive auto-generated feedbacks from the sales software adopted. Such a move has substituted the need for sales individuals, who used to act as customer care personnel. Moreover, such a scenario has been facilitated by the ability of modern machines to independently internalize and respond to concerns or conversations posted by clients. Therefore, according to system thinking theory, the system dynamics, there exists various systems such as human, organizational, technological, and national systems. Killick (2004) highlights that human and technical systems exhibit complex interactions, where each competes for significance in the labor market. The efficiency and reliability of technology have resulted in triumph over the human beings, thus resulting in massive laydown of such labor force and the adoption of new inventions.

Additionally, the massive advancement in the technological front has significantly reduced the importance of human beings in an organization. Machines were previously considered as complements, which used to assist the allocated employees in undertaking duties and responsibilities that were awarded. However, the emergence of technology has significantly the value associated with human beings. Prior to the recent discoveries, the human labor held an upper hand in the organization's undertaking and processes. Thus, such enterprises relied on the services offered by human labor to sustain their functionality. However, the introduction of machines has neutralized such needs (BBC, 2015). For instance, in the early 20th century, the banks relied on the services rendered by cashiers to serve their customers. This made such enterprises treat such individuals well, and a sign of job security. However, after the introduction of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), the significance of cashiers crumbled, and organizations started laying off the previously essential personnel in the enterprise. Such an occurrence validated the arguments presented by the author regarding the neutralization of the previous significance held by managers on the importance of human beings. Hence, the ability of the current machines and technology to learn, internalize and even figure out problems on their own is projected to subside the roles of human labor in institutions.

Technology has served the human population positively since its adoption. In most cases, the advances have assisted in the breakdown of complex activities or duties undertaken by the labor force, and thus saving time. For instance, the emergence accounting software such as quick books, TurboCASH, and Quicken have significantly reduced the work performed by accountants. Previously, the reports generation process was strenuous since it involved a load of calculations and analysis. Hence, due to the dynamic nature of the business front, innovators came up with calculators and such software. These have significantly assisted in promoting business growth and transparency in the enterprise since their stakeholders can access business reports, expenditure and cost analysis in an organization. According to Vasant (2017), such developments have assisted human beings during their day to day activities. Thus, regardless of the negative impacts associated with technology in the job market, there is some instance where the technology is essential and facilitates the growth and development of such enterprises.

Moreover, the use of advanced of technologies has reduced the scope of errors experienced during the execution of an organization's activities. Machines are usually accurate, or in some instances have a slight rate of inaccuracy. Hence, their adoption increases the productivity of the workforce. According to the social constructionist theory, the organization's strategies should give a positive interaction between the technology and human labor. Hence, the utilization of advanced methodologies should not adversely affect the established social groups in the community, and the innovators or founders of such technologies ought to ensure that the progress is in line with the relevant stakeholders, and ensure that there is a little harm to each. Thus, by conducting functions such as reducing errors in the organization's processes, the interaction will uphold the provisions outlined by the social constructivism approach.

Finally, the author expresses concern about the kind of education provided by universities, and how it impacts on their future occupational requirements. Additionally, Vasant (2017), outlines that individuals should engage in additional research, which aims at describing a suitable complement and competitional strategies between the modern technology and human labor. The universities should enlighten their students on the best ways to equip themselves for the future developments and trends in the workplace. For instance, through scientific inquiries, individuals should forward appropriate questions, formulate the said problem, execute, and analyze the expected outcomes. Such approaches will enable the establishment of common grounds, which will allow productive rather than frictional interactions between human beings and the technology.

In conclusion, machines are expected to significantly alter the job market and especially the duties formerly considered impossible for machines, the skills and expertise required, job replacement and trust between humans and technology. However, advances in technolog...