| Jobs |
May 16, 2019
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| He wasn't the type of person who left things that he didn't know about untouched. Recently, AI became a big topic. Researchers said that AI computers and robots would take away human jobs in the near future. Optimistic researchers said that many jobs had been changing depending on the needs of the era, so people shouldn't worry about AI. But he started to recall about older jobs. Carriage and coach riders lost their jobs, but taxi driving jobs appeared. An uncountable number of telephone  operators lost their jobs, but call-center operator work appeared. Movie theaters declined, but lots of rental video shops appeared; although now, they are in decline because of Netflix. When he was a child, there were door-to-door encyclopedia salesmen, ticket punchers (bus, train, other vehicles), elevator girls, and typists, but they all disappeared. He didn't know exactly how many workers were working in what occupations, and how they have changed, so he checked on the internet. He soon got the governmental survey that showed the number of workers from 2002 to present: The total number of workers as of now: 66.6 million workers (105.3% compared to 2002, 16 years ago) [Category & Workers] ・Agriculture and forestry : 2.1 million (M) (78.4% (compared to 2002)) ・Fisheries : 0.18 M (64.3%) ・Mining and quarrying of stone and gravel : 0.03 M (60.0%) ・Construction : 5.03 M (81.4%) ・Manufacturing : 10.6 M (88.2%) ・Electricity, gas, heat supply and water : 0.28 M (82.4%) ・Information and communications : 2.2 M (139.2%) ・Transport and postal activities : 3.41 M (104.3%) ・Wholesale and retail trade : 10.72 M (96.8%) ・Finance and insurance : 1.63 M (96.4%) ・Real estate and goods rental and leasing : 1.30 M (128.7%) ・Scientific research, professional and technical services : 2.39 M (117.2%) ・Accommodations, eating and drinking services : 4.16 M (105.1%) ・Living-related and personal services and amusement services : 2.36 M (97.1%) ・Education, learning support : 3.21 M (115.9%) ・Medical, health care and welfare : 8.31 M (175.3%) ・Compound services : 0.57 M (75.0%) ・Services, N.E.C. : 4.45 M (119.0%) ・Government, except elsewhere classified : 2.32 M (106.9%) He could easily understand why the most increasing job was 'Medical, health care and welfare'. In this country, elderly people's population had kept going up, therefore care workers had been increasing accordingly. He could also easily understand the second most increasing job, 'Information and communications'. There are many computer related companies that made software, operation systems, and websites. He could also understand the third most increasing one, 'Real estate and goods rental and leasing'. Maybe real estate workers didn't increase, but goods rental and leasing shops increased because of the idea of 'sharing' rather than owning. He understood 'Manufacturing' workers were decreasing because companies like car makers, electric appliance makers, pharmaceutical companies would use more and more robots. 'Wholesale and retail trade' workers were decreasing because people used more Amazon-like internet shops. He had watched on TV that in Amazon's warehouses, robots were moving all-around, and there were very few people. In this country, Amazon's annual sales were about $150 billion dollars, and it had about 5,000 workers. Comparatively, a similar sized clothing company had about 40,000 workers. Maybe if Amazon became bigger, workers would become fewer also. But, thinking about it, Amazon would surely make 'Transport and postal activities' workers increase because drivers would be needed to carry Amazon's parcels. Although children's population was decreasing, 'Education, learning support' workers were increasing. It might be because job seekers who had quit their former jobs would need different skills for new jobs. He checked what 'Living-related and personal services and amusement services' were: they were barbers, beauty saloon technicians, workers of travel agents, movie theaters, house keepers, etc. Maybe some segments of this category were decreasing, while some were increasing. About 'Services, N.E.C.' N.E.C. is an abbreviation of 'not elsewhere classified'. It contained disposal firms, car mechanics, security companies, employment agencies, temporary worker services. Of course, the last two jobs should be increasing in the coming era that AI took our jobs! (To be continued ...) |
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*carriage :四輪馬車
*coach :二輪馬車
*quarry :採石
*gravel :砂利
*compound :複合
*comparatively :比較してみると