Within the next 11 years, there could be 20 million jobs taken from workers at the hands of robots.
According to a recent study from Oxford Economics, it was predicted that by 2030, more than 1.5 million jobs would have been lost to the ‘MACHINES’ in the US. The EU and the rest of Europe was estimated at 2 million and China clocked in at a whopping 11 million jobs lost to robots. The rest of the jobs that make up the 20 million figure are scattered across the rest of the globe, including the UAE.
The UAE has a lot of guest workers that work in the sorts of jobs that could be replaced by robots. “As a result of robotization, tens of millions of jobs will be lost, especially in poorer local economies that rely on lower-skilled workers. This will therefore translate to an increase in income inequality,” the study’s authors said.
According to the report, robot installations around the world could boost the global GDP by 5.3% in 2030. “This equates to adding an extra $4.9 trillion per year to the global economy by 2030 (in today’s prices) — equivalent to an economy greater than the projected size of Germany’s,” the report said.
Unlike other progressed economies, Dubai and Abu Dhabi still rely mostly on human workers rather than automation. Dubai in particular is moving towards a tourism and subsequently a construction focused economy. There is a strong possibility construction workers could be completely automated in the future. This would leave more people to fuel a knowledge based economy, something Dubai in particular is pushing.
A lot of people are worried about the rise of automation, though in the case of Dubai, it could just call for retraining of workers, trying to funnel more people into knowledge-focused jobs and leaving construction and tourism projects to the robots.
“These findings should not lead policy-makers and other stakeholders to seek to frustrate the adoption of robot technology. Instead the challenge should be to distribute the robotics dividend more evenly by helping vulnerable workers prepare for and adapt to the upheaval it will bring,” the researchers said.
“Explore all policy options, from infrastructure investments to training initiatives and innovative welfare programs such as universal basic income,” the report suggested.
The USA entry to the Dubai Expo 2020 is actually said to utilise robot waiters and butlers. Maybe this is something else we could see cropping up in the Emirates? It’s already something fairly prevalent in areas such as Tokyo.
Read the full report here.
