How the Internet and Mobile Technology will Influence Employment and Business
It’s no longer a question that the internet and mobile technology have been a truly disruptive force for business and, indeed, for how things are done in the modern world. That much is clear. But how disruptive, exactly? That’s a question we attempt to answer here. In particular, we take a close look at the impact of the internet and mobile for employment.
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It is quite clear that one can never be safe in traditional and lower-skilled jobs. Today, workers will have to pick up new skills that are suitable for new types of work. Nobody can afford not to adjust to change in the workplace or not to take new risks. It is important to recognize new opportunities and technological changes as they come along and seize upon them, make the most of them.
Companies today expect employees to be technologically literate and engaged. Employees should not be scared of technology, but see it as a positive, as a way to save time and labor.
Automation of jobs, which is expected to be accelerated by the universal adoption of the internet and the mobile at the workplace has created a lot of concern among employees. Some jobs will never be the same again, as they will be affected by technology and change irrevocably.
At every point in history, technological change renders some types of jobs completely redundant. In India, for example, the postal department maintains a fraction of the staff it once used to as writing letters has become increasingly rare in the days of email and mobile phones.
The formerly ubiquitous typist, who was found in every office as recently as in the late 1990’s, is nowhere to be found today. Bank tellers have become a part of history too, with ATMs and internet banking.
The new internet economy is expected to create new jobs such as product managers, data scientists, hardware designers, software developers, user experience designers, sales managers and so on that are relevant to what businesses do these days. Traditional jobs such as account managers, product designers, marketing specialists, researchers, or other jobs that rely on problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to interact and adapt to different situations are likely to thrive during this time.
Jobs that will get the best salaries include those in robotics and engineering such as medical robots designers, grid modernization managers, personified medical device consultants, transportation network engineers, or any job that requires specific knowledge of certain industry domains and new technologies.
Internet And Mobile Technology In Job Seeking Opportunities
For job seekers, nothing beats having both, hard skills (engineering talent) and soft skills (communication). By learning new skills and adapting to new internet and mobile based technologies, it is very much possible for blue collar workers to get a job upgrade and be counted as white collar workers. On the flip side, white collar workers who refuse to do the same will be at a serious risk of prolonged joblessness.
The worst affected would be those in traditional, low-skill and repetitive jobs. It is only a matter of time before these jobs are replaced by technology. Indeed, the lower the skill level required for the job, the sooner the jobs became redundant.
Does anybody remember what happened to switchboard operators once the traditional phone systems were completely replaced by mobile phones? They were most likely left with two choices – pick up new, relevant and marketable skills, or stay jobless. It’s a harsh world out there, where the only thing that matters is how fast one adapts to change. Adapt, change, or be pushed out!
However, there will be some jobs that won’t be affected by the internet and other technologies. These are jobs that require quintessentially human attributes such as empathy, intuition and creativity, such as, Nurses, caretakers, counselors, psychologists, and school teachers. If you’re in one of these jobs, you will feel safer than most other people as such jobs are not easily replaceable.
