And if so, what will happen to all those working in retail today?
Technological job loss is nothing new—but is this time different? Up to 800 million global workers will lose their jobs by 2030 and be replaced by robotic automation, a new report from a consultancy has found. The study of 46 countries and 800 occupations by the McKinsey Global Institute found that up to one-fifth of the global work force will be affected. It said one-third of the workforce in richer nations like Germany and the US may need to retrain for other jobs. Source: BBC Machine operators and food workers will be hit hardest, the report says.
It is probably time to discuss the consequences of technology. We remember the industrial revolution when jobs were replaced by machines and factories. We look back at that as a favorable progress. The question is; are we prepared for this now?
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) is working on technology that would eliminate cashiers and checkout lines from stores, in a nascent challenge to Amazon.com Inc’s (AMZN.O) automated grocery shop,
https://www.reuters.tv/v/Lu3/2018/06/14/exclusive-microsoft-works-on-cashier-free-tech
Microsoft’s technology aims to help retailers keep pace with Amazon Go, a highly automated store that opened to the public in Seattle in January. Amazon customers scan their smartphones at a turnstile to enter. Cameras and sensors identify what they remove from the shelves. When customers are finished shopping, they simply leave the store and Amazon bills their credit cards on file.