About two weeks back, on the Memorial Day, as I was going to the mall, I was listening to a program on the radio in which they were talking about automation. The most important aspect was that they were talking about automation in the agricultural sector. The main discussion was about how the changing immigration pattern and laws as well as other work options have lead to a scarcity of skilled laborers to work in the farms. The farmers were sure that the use of robots in farming is just a matter of time. Scientists are creating robots that would do the work in the farms. They have created a lettuce-bot, a robot armed with cameras and sensors to select and trim lettuce. They are of the view that the work that earlier required about 15 laborers would not be done with these robots requiring just two human operators. The question is that though right now there is a scarcity of labor in the farmland, what will happen when these jobs will be taken up by robots and again unemployment will rise? If more and more jobs are taken up by automation, specially in sectors such as agriculture, where would the extra hands go? Small farmers might continue with human help but the large farms that provide employment to a greater number of laborers would definitely opt for machines as an effective replacement. Automation is taking up jobs at a very fast rate as machines are more efficient than humans and also have no social needs, making them preferable. With doors closing for so many industries, rising unemployment along with its side effects will not be surprising.
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