The effects of the use of on-line services on employment
Mr. Powell
General Staff – unemployment
• Mass unemployment induced by technology include– Production lines replaced by robots– Clerical duties such as payroll– Unskilled labor i.e. car parks
• Many jobs have been lost because – ICT can improve efficiency– Less people employed to complete a
task
Examples
• Manufacturing– Skilled technicians replaced by
computer controlled robots– Dirty & dangerous jobs replaced by data
logging & sensors– ‘routine sampling’ for quality control
done using automatic samplers
• Warehouse / Stock Control– Loading & sorting replaced by automatic
fork lifts and computer cataloging system
Examples
• Office– Typist replaced by word processing– Payroll clerks replaced by spreadsheets– Paper-based filing systems replaced by a
database
• Communications – phone system– Operators replaced by computer systems &
automated answering service
• Retail– Online shopping removes need for cashiers &
sales staff– Stock control staff replaced by bar code reader
systems and database
Technical staff opportunities
• ICT has also created jobs, such as programmers, analysts, technicians, etc
• Many jobs in other industries have been created because:– Engineers building computerized machines– Programmers to write programs & routines– Systems analyst to design systems– Skilled workers to operate new machinery– Skilled workers to use applications software
such as graphic designers, web administrators & cad developers