The Future of Work - Connor Morley

The future of work in America is, like any prediction, ultimately uncertain, but there are numerous factors that are contributing to what can be predicted. Through the careful gathering of data by the McKinsey global institute, it is plain to see what jobs/lines of work are likely set to thrive and which ones might be in danger.


It seems to be the trend that the jobs most in danger of displacement are the ones that are on the lower end of the pay scale. This appears to be correlated highly with jobs whose workers do not possess college degrees, as evidenced by this graph:

Which shows that college degrees are more important than ever in a global economy less willing to shell out the big bucks on manufacturing and blue-collar work than ever, even though they constitute the largest portion of jobs in the world relative to other occupations, which really illustrates certain inequalities brought-on by a country exemplifying a capitalist model, such as the United States. 

My third and final graph illustrates demographics within jobs that are in the most danger of being displaced. It is plain to see that these jobs hold minorities as employees at a percentage that vastly outnumbers Caucasians within those same positions, which isn't surprising given the extreme wealth that Caucasians hold as opposed to other racial and ethnic groups.

Because of this, it seems that income inequality may not necessarily lie in race and ethnicity itself, but rather jobs that are more easily afforded to individuals of certain race and ethnicity. And because automation is set to render these jobs obsolete on a large scale in the near future, minority groups may face unemployment on a large scale.

As a Caucasian who wants to enter a highly technical STEM field, I personally see only bright skies ahead for the most part. However, it is necessary to address the fundamental flaws that are preventing certain lines of work and individuals of certain race and ethnicity to succeed in a future that will be dominated by automation if our American society and economy is going to thrive.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COVID-19 Blog

As the coronavirus rages on, an important question arises: should western countries aid the so-called "third world," particularly Africa, in combating the pandemic? I believe the answer is no, for two main reasons. My first objection is rather obvious: the United States currently has more confirmed COVID cases than all of Africa combined, and it isn't close. There are several possible explanations, including the warmer weather, but the exact reason isn't necessarily relevant. After a domestic coronavirus response which can only be described as a disaster of earth-shattering proportions, who are we to go on an international health crusade? There are millions of vulnerable Americans who are currently unable to receive adequate care. Our resources need to be going to them first, not abroad, and most certainly not to parasitic, too-big-to-fail corporations. My second objection: when was America's last successful large-scale international intervention, viole...
Read more

SARS CoV-2, COVID-19, and The World

It's no secret that right now the SARS CoV-2 is wreaking havoc across the world. As of today, the United States has surpassed China as the nation with the most cases of the novel coronavirus, with over 86,000 cases in our country to date. This is all pretty crazy, especially considering that this is all because of a pathogen that supposedly started with either bats or pangolins (the only mammal in the world known to have scales) in a small localized region of China. Of course, it's not only the health effects that are wide-reaching; the social effects are also just as prevalent. One of the ways in which the world is rapidly changing in regards to social effects is through panic buying of goods at places such as supermarkets and hypermarkets such as Walmart. However, the good news is that food in general is not going to run out; there may be shortages of certain particular items, nevertheless, as certain nations have curtailed exports. What is bound to change, possibly permanent...
Read more

COVID-19 Blog

As the spread of COVID-19 becomes greater many opinions on how to respond to this global pandemic have surfaced. Just a few months ago much of the population in the United States felt unthreatened by the virus as it spread through China, being concentrated in Wuhan, and later spreading in Europe. It was not until the virus quickly erupted in the United States that we each understood the true severity of this pandemic. Now we are seeing how individuals are being greatly impacted by this virus as we are all being asked to stay home and the everyday parts of our lives have been flipped upside down. In the opinion piece about what responsibility developed countries have for helping less developed countries I both agreed and disagreed. My initial response is that if places, like the United States, are struggling with medical resources how can we even begin to be helpful in less developed countries. Hospitals all throughout the United States are beginning to have to make life or death decisi...
Read more