Men and technology

What will be the role of humans in the job market in a technology-driven future? The new generation is growing up in a digital world and finds ‘connecting people, machines and systems’ completely normal. And yet the ever-more-intelligent robot is also seen as a threat. Our dependence on them, and the decline in human contact as robots assume an increasingly prominent position in our lives, is a cause of concern for many people. 

Various studies have focused on the perceived threat. And it’s true, robotisation could lead to a loss of jobs if robots take over tasks from humans. That’s why we need to rethink our approach. Let the robots do the heavy, repetitive work and deploy your people at a level where a robot can’t make a valid contribution. That means that fewer lower-skilled employees will be required on production lines and that (re)training will often be essential. But the fact remains that not everyone has the capability to progress to a higher level.

As more robots are used, the technician’s role will also become more important. There’s already a chronic shortage of highly skilled technical specialists, so it came as even more of a shock when I read in the newspaper over breakfast recently that leading universities in the Netherlands have introduced a student quota for technology-related degrees. We’ve finally convinced young people to choose to study science and technology, and now they’re being told they can’t! To make matters worse, the campaign to encourage young people to choose that direction has been running for a few years now, so surely universities should have been prepared for it? Unfathomable. It’s enough to almost make me choke on my coffee. 

Saskia Stender