human labor is rapidly losing its value

[midas]

We're told the future doesn't need us. With the rise of technology, humans will have to be very clever - and very careful - not to be left behind, because human labor is rapidly losing its value. Is this the real motivation behind a secretive effort to reduce population and centralize control? Maybe the biggest threat we face isn't just automation, but the risk that humans are becoming obsolete.

 

Rise Of The Machines: Millions Of American Jobs Will Be Wiped Out In The Next Five Years

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2016 by midas

[jadee]

I think this is relevant to Thailand because many Chinese manufacturers have been forced to seek cheaper labor options in South East Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand. Gone are the days where China was king of cheap labor. The cost of living in China has risen, as have Chinese workers' wages, and the downturn in 2015-16 has made other countries more attractive as manufacturing bases. 
Wages in Vietnam are half what they are in China, but where will factories relocate after that? 
On the other hand, automation has been replacing human jobs for decades but it creates new jobs as well. For example, there was an old saying that every ATM was '3 bank tellers' but of course the whole ATM industry spawned manufacturing, engineers and numerous other technical opportunities. 
What Thailand needs to watch out for is that the drive towards higher wages doesn't force companies to cut costs through automation. Forbes just ran an excellent article showing how rises in the US minimum wage has spurred automation stateside. McDonalds is rolling out touch-screen ordering kiosks nationwide instead of paying higher wages to thankless teenages to take orders.

[midas]

Capita to replace staff with robots to save money

 

Outsourcing giant to axe 2,000 jobs and use ‘proprietary robotic solutions’ after clients cut spending following Brexit vote

 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/dec/08/capita-to-replace-staff-with-robots-to-save-money

 

[midas]

On 12/8/2016 at 7:35 PM, jadee said:

I think this is relevant to Thailand because many Chinese manufacturers have been forced to seek cheaper labor options in South East Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand. Gone are the days where China was king of cheap labor. The cost of living in China has risen, as have Chinese workers' wages, and the downturn in 2015-16 has made other countries more attractive as manufacturing bases. 
Wages in Vietnam are half what they are in China, but where will factories relocate after that? 
On the other hand, automation has been replacing human jobs for decades but it creates new jobs as well. For example, there was an old saying that every ATM was '3 bank tellers' but of course the whole ATM industry spawned manufacturing, engineers and numerous other technical opportunities. 
What Thailand needs to watch out for is that the drive towards higher wages doesn't force companies to cut costs through automation. Forbes just ran an excellent article showing how rises in the US minimum wage has spurred automation stateside. McDonalds is rolling out touch-screen ordering kiosks nationwide instead of paying higher wages to thankless teenages to take orders.

 

 

And Amazon stores to have no check out staff

 

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/06/504570582/amazon-to-open-convenience-store-with-no-lines

[brianinbangkok]

And almost no warehouse staff at Ammazon.

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[midas]

1 hour ago, brianinbangkok said:

And almost no warehouse staff at Ammazon.
 

 

Sent from my GT-I9305 using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

 

 

 

And it would appear that they are even trying to eliminate the few warehouse staff that are there

 

Amazon robots close to replacing the rest of warehouse workers

 

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/231171-amazon-robots-close-to-replacing-the-rest-of-warehouse-workers

 

there is no contest for the factory owners. No holiday pay, no health costs, no retirement benefits, no salary or salary increases. Just a maintenance fund for the costs to repair the machinery and maybe a sinking fund to replace capital equipment at set intervals.

 

And how can there be a housing recovery because who's gonna give mortgages to people under these kinds of circumstances?

 

Edited December 10, 2016 by midas

[lkn]

On 12/8/2016 at 4:51 PM, midas said:

Is this the real motivation behind a secretive effort to reduce population and centralize control?

 

What secret effort? And by how much do you imagine we need to reduce the population to avoid technological unemployment? And how does centralized control help here? And what sort of centralization are you talking about, unions like the one Britain just voted to exit?

[midas]

On 12/11/2016 at 1:37 PM, lkn said:

 

What secret effort? And by how much do you imagine we need to reduce the population to avoid technological unemployment? And how does centralized control help here? And what sort of centralization are you talking about, unions like the one Britain just voted to exit?

 

I did not write those words-they were taken from the article itself.

But the views of the elites are fairly well known. You can read some of their views at the link below.

But just as one example Ted Turner who founded CNN wants to see and 95% reduction in world population numbers

 

http://www.whale.to/c/22.html

 

http://www.activistpost.com/2013/01/30-population-control-quotes-that-show.html