Technology continues to advance and jobs are at risk of being replaced by different forms of automation. This first impacted the manufacturing industry, but now will affect retail. Between 6 and 7.5 million jobs could be impacted which is almost 40% of the retail workforce. Cashiers would be most impacted with automated check-out. There will also be fewer sales jobs because buyers can use computers to find what they need.
E-commerce is also having a significant impact on retail as more people are buying goods over the internet. Stores are having to compete against Amazon who already uses a huge amount of robots and automation in their fulfillment centers. Amazon is pushing competition with its low-cost process.
It will be interesting to watch the retain industry undergo these changes. Stores continue to close while online shopping gets easier and easier. I am fascinated to see what next industry will be impacted by robotics and automation.
http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/19/technology/future/retail-job-robots/index.html
This makes me wonder what our lives will be like and the future. It's very exciting but scary in a way.
ReplyDeleteThe retail industry needs to somehow reinvent itself so people cannot be out of jobs. 40% is a lot of people. It will be interesting to see what happens in the future.
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