How is Automation Changing Career Dynamics?

Automation is one of the leading technologies being developed within the workplace. Enabling businesses to implement fully automated solutions, it has the power to boost speed, efficiency and performance within the workplace.

Since its inception there has been a level of fear that automation could replace human jobs, but is this a reality? Here, we'll look at how automation is changing career dynamics.

The German Automation and robotics market experiences 4% growth

In 2018, the automation and robotics industry in Germany experienced a growth of 4%, taking its total turnover to a staggering €15 billion. This highlights the global demand for the country's automation technologies.

Integrated assembly solutions saw the largest increase in sales at 9%. Businesses are frequently searching for ways to increase speed and efficiency within their assembly line and automated technology really fulfils this need.

While robotics and automation sectors are seeing strong global growth, Germany remains one of the leaders in the technologies.

What threats does automation present?

While automation has provided many benefits for businesses, it does present some threats, particularly to workers.

Interestingly, in Germany the current implementation of automation technology hasn't impacted workers jobs as anticipated. However, for those workers who are at risk, it is suggested that adequate training could be the answer. Automation may take over some jobs, but what that means is that humans will be required in more specialised roles. So, training up workers for more specialist positions is currently key to ensuring automation doesn't cause major job losses.

Why human jobs are still required

Although automation can replace a lot of tasks, it certainly doesn't mean humans are no longer needed. In fact, there are some roles that can only be fulfilled by human workers.

There is always the risk that automated processes can fail. Technological errors could spell disaster for companies that focus purely on automated processes. Therefore, in automated areas of the business, it could help to install technologies such as timers from RS Components. These would require monitoring by human workers, ensuring any problems are detected quickly.

Another factor businesses need to consider is decision making. Having a human touch in the business is important. Machines may be able to work faster and produce fewer errors, but they won't always necessarily make business decisions. The trouble is, if workers are forced further out of the workplace due to robotics and automation, their decision-making skills will be impacted. This could halt innovation and produce issues with the way things are run.

Finally, one area that will always require human workers is customer service. While there is room for automation within customer service, there are times when only speaking to a human employee will suffice.

Automation and robotics in Germany continue going from strength to strength. However, it hasn't impacted the human workforce as much as it was initially expected. This highlights the benefits of automation, enabling businesses to adopt more automated processes without compromising their workforce. As long as the challenges of automation and robotics are met, it could prove to be beneficial to companies to start adopting more automated processes into the workplace.