Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/802137
FROM THE PUBLISHER Preparing for a Different Kind of Work SPECIALTY FOOD ASSOCIATION MEMBERS: Discuss this topic in the Solution Center on specialtyfood.com W hen my grandchildren are old enough to enter the workforce, the jobs available for them may be quite different from the jobs we do today. And when they reach their 40s, the employment that exists is even less likely to be the same as when they entered the workforce. Chris Crocker Senior Vice President, Content & Media ccrocker@specialtyfood.com There's been a lot of discussion about jobs lost to im- ported labor and exported work but we're now hearing more about worker displacement due to automation and machine learning. In time, it's more likely that some thing will take jobs away than some one will. A 2013 Oxford University study of 702 industries esti- mated that 47 percent of American workers are at high risk of being displaced in their jobs in the next few decades due to technological change. Forty-seven percent. Sure, there's some historical evidence that automation stimulates growth and creates more jobs than it eliminates. With the introduction of ATMs, for example, banks be- came more efficient and were able to open more branches, picking up teller jobs that would otherwise be lost. But the challenges increase when technology disrupts at the pace it is doing today. With mobile banking and expanded ATM capabilities, teller jobs are projected to decline 8 percent be- tween 2014 and 2024. What we do know for sure is that change is coming. Acceleration of automation and artificial intelligence brings many experts to envision a largely unemployed workforce, with only the most menial and most sophisticated jobs re- maining. Even technologists like Bill Gates anticipate mass labor disruption, proposing changes in public policy such as taxing capital investment to slow development and to fund jobs in education and elder care. It's easy, however, for most businesspeople to see the appeal of a changing approach. With rising labor costs and HR headaches, automation can be appealing, espe- cially as tech-based capabilities become less costly. Au- tomation can make the difference between profitability and bankruptcy in the Darwinian business world. Wonder how automation will affect our industry? The Amazon Go robo-store concept all but eliminates f loor staff. With powerful AI capabilities emerging, it's not difficult to imagine more back-of-the-house automa- tion in retail. What does a distributor workforce look like with self-driving trucks and online sales interaction? What about foodservice? Will a "waitron" become more than a gender-neutral colloquialism? How might 3-D printing impact food manufacturing? We in this indus- try know there's a significant consumer population who cares about artisanal food production. Will future con- sumers care if a recipe is developed with artificial rather than human intelligence? When viewed collectively, it's easy to ignore the individual impact of disruption. Even when new kinds of work become available as others become obsolete, it doesn't mean that displaced workers can readily jump into new careers. We need to be prepared. Adaptability is the most effective defense against disruption. As for my grandchildren, I'm hoping they will have a thirst for learning and the ability to accom- modate a rapidly changing world. They'll need it. SPRING 2017 5