Technology: Job killer or job creator?

There’s no doubt automation affects hiring and firing:

About 21% of companies say they’ve replaced — or “de-skilled” — some of their employees with automation, based on a new survey from CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists International.

The number is higher — 30% — for larger companies with 500 or more employees.

Sounds like a net loss for workers? Not really.

Turns out:

• 68% of those companies that de-skilled added new workers
• 35% hired at a faster rate than before their moves towards automation, and
• 35% hired people back because new technology didn’t work out like they’d expected!

Who’s next?

Automation (and technology like the Internet) has certainly hurt some professions more than others. Think travel agents, data entry specialists, etc.

CareerBuilder’s research shows 257 types of occupations showed a decline in employment since 2002. Yet 61% of occupations (483 total) grew by 1% or more.

Here are the professions HR pros predict will be hardest hit by technology over the next decade:

• Customer Service (35%)
• IT (33%)
• Accounting/Finance (32%)
• Assembly/Production (30%)
• Shipping/Distribution (25%)
• Sales (17%)