Should We be Worried About Robots Taking Our Jobs, Report Says No

Are robots are taking over our jobs is the debacle and question of recent technological talk. According to ManpowerGroup’s report, Humans Wanted: Robots Need You, it seems just the opposite is happening. The report found that 87 percent of employers were in fact planning to increase or maintain headcount as a result of automation for the third consecutive year.

ManpowerGroup surveyed 19,000 employers in 44 different countries on the impact of automation on job growth in the next two years.

As companies integrate automation into their systems, they continue to grow and produce new jobs and tasks. Organizations that are currently automating tasks and progressing their digital footprint are the most confident in increasing their headcount.

This increase in employees comes from the growing need for new talent and skills, which is a trend that doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Companies are definitely planning to up their talent pool. In total, 84 percent of employers plan to upskill their workforce by 2020.

“The focus on robots eliminating jobs is distracting us from the real issue,” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chairman & CEO. “More and more robots are being added to the workforce, but humans are too. Tech is here to stay and it’s our responsibility as leaders to become Chief Learning Officers and work out how we integrate humans with machines. Learning today cannot be done as it was in the past. That’s why at ManpowerGroup we’re reskilling people from declining industries like textiles for jobs in high growth industries including cyber security, advanced manufacturing and autonomous driving. If we focus on practical steps to upskill people at speed and at scale, organizations and individuals really can befriend the machines.”

More employers than ever (87%) plan to increase or maintain their headcount as a result of automation, finds new ManpowerGroup research.

Additionally, the report also indicated that the demand for IT skills is growing significantly, and 16 percent of companies expect to increase headcount in IT, which is five times more than those expecting to decrease. Meanwhile, 25 percent of production and manufacturing employers said they will employ more people in the next year, while 20 percent said they will employ less. The growth in this sector will come in front line and customer facing roles requiring more communication skills.

Overall, the report provides recommendations and best practice examples from around the world to help organizations prepare for the implementation of automation and the upskill of employees.