Will a robot take your job? We break down the chances in some of Charlotte’s top industries.
The numbers are out and, well, they may look pretty daunting. We’ve all seen the futuristic sci-fi movies where it seems like robots and artificial intelligence have taken over the workforce. We actually may not be too far away from those movies becoming reality.
According to a McKinsey Global Institute study, up to 800 million workers around the world will lose their jobs to robots by 2030. According to that same report, 39 to 73 million U.S. jobs will be eliminated due to robotic automation in that same time frame.
Back in 2013, Oxford Martin School’s Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne saw this possibility and published a report that broke down the likelihood of specific jobs getting replaced by robots. This formula was then used to create the website, Will Robots Take My Job?. The website makes it quick and easy to find out the percentage chance you could lose your job to a robot in the future.
With this in mind, I wanted to look at the potential impact this could have on Charlotte by looking at three large industries in town, health care, finance/banking and energy.
Health care
Health care support workers
Career Builder defines a healthcare support worker as someone who “provides assistance to nurses, physicians, surgeons and health care professionals.”
Chances a robot takes this job:
63%
Registered nurse
Chances a robot takes this job:
0.9%
Physicians and surgeons
Chances a robot takes this job:
0.42%
Medical and health services manager
The ‘will robots take my job?’ website defines this position as someone who “plans, directs, or coordinates medical and health services in hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, public health agencies, or similar organizations.”
Chances a robot takes this job:
0.73%
Finance and banking
Bank tellers
The ‘will robots take my job?’ website defines this position as someone who “receives and pays out money. Keep records of money and negotiable instruments involved in a financial institution’s various transactions.”
Chances a robot takes this job:
98%
Financial manager
The ‘will robots take my job?’ website defines this position as someone who “plans, directs, or coordinates accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment.”
Chances a robot takes this job:
6.9%
Personal financial advisors
The ‘will robots take my job?’ website defines this position as someone who “advises clients on financial plans using knowledge of tax and investment strategies, securities, insurance, pension plans, and real estate. Duties include assessing clients’ assets, liabilities, cash flow, insurance coverage, tax status, and financial objectives.”
Chances a robot takes this job:
58%
Loan officer
The ‘will robots take my job?’ website defines this position as someone who “Evaluates, authorizes, or recommends approval of commercial, real estate, or credit loans. Advise borrowers on financial status and payment methods. Includes mortgage loan officers and agents, collection analysts, loan servicing officers, and loan underwriters.”
Chances a robot takes this job:
98%
Energy and Utilities
Power Distributors and Dispatchers
The ‘will robots take my job?’ website defines this position as someone who “coordinates, regulates, or distributes electricity or steam.”
Chances a robot takes this job:
64%
Electrical Engineer
The ‘will robots take my job?’ website defines this position as someone who “researches, designs, develops, tests, or supervises the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.”
Chances a robot takes this job:
10%
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
The ‘will robots take my job?’ website defines this position as someone who “installs or repairs cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems. May erect poles and light or heavy duty transmission towers.”
Chances a robot takes this job:
9.7%
Meter readers, utilities
The ‘will robots take my job?’ website defines this position as someone who “reads meter and record consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam.”
Chances a robot takes this job:
85%
With reporters sitting at just 11 percent, CharlotteFive will hopefully be here to stay … at least until robots figure out AP style.
Photos: Pexels, Twenty20
This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Will a robot take your job? We break down the chances in some of Charlotte’s top industries.."