A 2017 McKinsey report theorized that about 50% of job activities could be automated by 2030. About six in 10 businesses could automate at least 30% of their activities, but what does this mean for people’s actual jobs? Before you panic that the job you are training for won’t even exist in a decade or two, it’s important to understand that job automation is more complicated than McKinsey’s research would indicate.
McKinsey is clear that these are theoretical numbers they offer. How many jobs will actually be automated depends on many factors, including whether companies are willing and able to invest three to ten times the current labor cost in order to automate. McKinsey clearly states that zero to 30 percent of jobs could be automated depending on the adoption of the technology.
What About IT Job Automation?
The IT industry is largely responsible for the AI and machine learning that powers automation efforts, but what about IT job automation? Cloud computing has largely automated what used to be complicated storage solutions, and many software support and technician jobs are now being handled by chatbots that can offer answers automatically.
Outside these types of jobs, however, IT will continue to be driven by people with skills that AI has not yet been able to touch. Furthermore, the history of technological advancement suggests that automation will not lead to widespread unemployment, but will be gradual enough for many workers to learn the skills that will be required for the new jobs automation will create.
Jobs that require creative thinking and people skills will not be automated any time soon–and these are plentiful in IT. Researchers say that the study of human intelligence still has many gaps that need to be understood and quantified before a robot will be able to “think” like a human being can. Furthermore, AI developers have admitted that they don’t even know how to build software that can think like a human yet–and they aren’t sure they will ever be able to do so.
Most IT jobs will not be automated because they require creativity and people skills.
IT Jobs Safe From Automation
Some of the jobs that companies won’t be able to automate any time soon include network administrators, architects, and engineers; software programmers and developers; and IT managers of all kinds. It will be essential to develop your people skills so you can engage in teamwork and work with others to create effective solutions to problems and implement those solutions.
While creative, people-oriented jobs won’t be fully automated in the near future, that doesn’t mean aspects of these jobs won’t be automated. It will be necessary for IT professionals to be adaptable and evolve with advancing technologies to continue to improve productivity when tools allow you to do so.
PC AGE offers training for the essential IT jobs of today and into the future. Contact us to find out how we can help you start or build a fulfilling and long-lasting IT career.