While we’re not quite in a dystopian future where robots have taken over the world, we’re slowly getting to that point where machines are taking over many of the jobs that we previously gave to the working class in order for them to sustain a living. Technology has improved our lives by leaps and bounds, but sadly it’s also becoming more and more evident that business owners plan to use this technology in an attempt to phase out employees. In the future, it wouldn’t be too unlikely to see employee-less businesses rise and push more people out of their jobs.
It’s already happening
In the town of Viken in the South of Sweden, a store opened in 2016 that boasts zero employees. It is a 24/7 convenience store that stocks most of the basic necessities for the locals to buy, meaning they don’t have to drive to a larger city in order to stock up basic goods and food items. It works on a membership basis, meaning not everyone can join but after a brief credit check and an application, you simply walk in, scan items in your basket using a smartphone app, and then you receive an invoice at the end of the month. This type of system requires zero employees and instead, it uses technology in the form of software and security cameras in order to monitor what goes on inside.
Another good example is in the food processing industry. Many people are losing their jobs because robots are taking over their roles, offering the same work done but more efficiently and without needing to train employees or offer them a fixed salary. There is a wide variety of fish processing equipment that is affordable for even small supermarket chains that will process all types of fish quickly and efficiently and with technology constantly improving, it wouldn’t be surprising to see entire production chains repurposed to cook and serve food without the need of human assistance.
Software is also taking over jobs
With the rise of cloud accounting software that is easy to use and incredibly cheap, the use of accountants is slowly starting to decrease. Anyone with a brief background in mathematics and computing will easily be able to use software to assist them with even the most troubling of financial problems. The software is so simple to use that even small business owners and freelancers no longer need to hire the services of an accountant or seek financial advice. Everything from tax payments and expenses are calculated, meaning it’s incredibly easy for someone to handle all of their financial worries in the comfort of their home on a computer.
Summary
So is the world turning employee-less? There will always be some positions that require a human’s judgement, but for anything repetitive, it’s likely they will be done by robots in the near future to cut costs and deliver cheaper products to consumers. Sadly, it will come at the cost of many lost jobs, but that seems to be the future we are heading towards.
