被機(jī)器人取代,商業(yè)精英們的壓力愈發(fā)嚴(yán)重
過去十年間,人們將失業(yè)歸罪于開放市場(chǎng)和全球貿(mào)易的發(fā)展,但全球各大公司的CEO們則認(rèn)為,罪魁禍?zhǔn)资菣C(jī)器的不斷發(fā)展和進(jìn)步。 今年1月,商界領(lǐng)袖在達(dá)沃斯參加本年度世界經(jīng)濟(jì)論壇(WEF)時(shí),一方面暢談科技促進(jìn)生產(chǎn)力提高所帶來(lái)的好處,另一方面也警醒人們,需更加重視科技給工作帶來(lái)的間接損害。 機(jī)器人、無(wú)人駕駛汽車、人工智能和3D打印等技術(shù)意味著越來(lái)越多的工種將面臨被取代的風(fēng)險(xiǎn),無(wú)論是出租車司機(jī),還是醫(yī)療保健專業(yè)人員。 例如,阿迪達(dá)斯打算利用3D打印技術(shù)完成部分跑鞋的制造。 慧與公司(Hewlett Packard Enterprise)的CEO梅格·惠特曼表示,“工作機(jī)會(huì)要么會(huì)消失,要么會(huì)發(fā)生演化。這一變革將影響我們每個(gè)人,且沒有止境,不分階層。” 一些唐納德·特朗普和脫歐的支持者們期待,新一屆政府的政策能夠?qū)⒈镜厥サ墓ぷ鳈C(jī)會(huì)帶回到美國(guó)鐵銹地帶(制造帶)和英國(guó)北部工業(yè)區(qū),而世界經(jīng)濟(jì)論壇的年度風(fēng)險(xiǎn)報(bào)告顯示,據(jù)經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家估計(jì),美國(guó)制造業(yè)中86%的失業(yè)是由生產(chǎn)力提高造成的。 安永咨詢公司(EY)董事長(zhǎng)馬克·溫伯格最近曾表示,“科技是個(gè)大問題,而我們卻拒不承認(rèn)。”他認(rèn)為我們過去有一種傾向,即總是把問題歸咎于貿(mào)易伙伴。 在當(dāng)今政治背景下,CEO們?yōu)榱烁现笖?shù)級(jí)增長(zhǎng)的科技發(fā)展步伐,在對(duì)待員工長(zhǎng)期培訓(xùn)方面,不得不更加謹(jǐn)慎。 微軟CEO薩蒂亞·納德拉向路透社記者表示,“我認(rèn)為在目前所處的時(shí)代,我們一生中都不得不尋找其他職業(yè)道路。” 過去十年間,科技發(fā)展是導(dǎo)致工作機(jī)會(huì)喪失的首要因素。達(dá)信保險(xiǎn)經(jīng)紀(jì)公司(Marsh)的全球風(fēng)險(xiǎn)官約翰·德茲克對(duì)此觀點(diǎn)的認(rèn)同有過之而無(wú)不及。 “這將帶來(lái)挑戰(zhàn),特別考慮到當(dāng)今的政治背景。”德茲克表示,他曾協(xié)助撰寫世界經(jīng)濟(jì)論壇的報(bào)告。 比起通過加強(qiáng)國(guó)界管理來(lái)限制移民,如何應(yīng)對(duì)科技對(duì)就業(yè)造成的破壞性影響可能更加難以掌控。 在短期內(nèi),雖然很多高科技技術(shù)仍然比低技術(shù)或中等技術(shù)勞動(dòng)力的成本要高,但隨著成本下降,這種轉(zhuǎn)變很有可能會(huì)加速。 不斷擴(kuò)大的差距 參加達(dá)沃斯論壇的各公司高管表示,科技進(jìn)步要求政府、企業(yè)和學(xué)術(shù)機(jī)構(gòu)共同培養(yǎng)教育程度更高和具備更高技術(shù)能力的工作人員。 而這種向技術(shù)人員的轉(zhuǎn)變也進(jìn)而擴(kuò)大了收入差距,并加劇了發(fā)展的不平衡性。 萬(wàn)寶盛華(ManpowerGroup)人力資源公司CEO喬納斯·普萊辛表示,在美國(guó),接受過大學(xué)教育人員中,失業(yè)率為大約2-2.5%,而在技能水平較低或不具備技能的人中,失業(yè)率高達(dá)9-10%。 普萊辛說(shuō):“事實(shí)上,將禁止自動(dòng)化作為制造業(yè)發(fā)展的一部分,并不在我們的討論范圍內(nèi)。” 他指出,在丹麥和意大利等國(guó)實(shí)施的政策中,一項(xiàng)重點(diǎn)內(nèi)容就是增強(qiáng)工人的就業(yè)能力。 “(針對(duì)失業(yè)工人的問題)如果我們不承擔(dān)起責(zé)任,差距只會(huì)變得越來(lái)越大。”寶潔公司(Procter & Gamble)首席執(zhí)行官大衛(wèi)·泰勒說(shuō)。 體力和腦力 對(duì)于世界經(jīng)濟(jì)論壇上所指的“第四次工業(yè)革命”帶來(lái)的就業(yè)風(fēng)險(xiǎn),其范圍尚不明確。“第四次工業(yè)革命”模糊了物理、數(shù)字和生物領(lǐng)域的界限。 牛津大學(xué)2013年的一項(xiàng)研究表明,近一半的美國(guó)就業(yè)機(jī)會(huì)面臨被取代的風(fēng)險(xiǎn),而2015年福雷斯特研究公司(Forrester Research)則預(yù)測(cè),到2025年,就業(yè)崗位的凈減少率僅為7%,這是因?yàn)槟承┫У膷徫粚?huì)被新崗位所替代。 福雷斯特預(yù)測(cè),到2019年,四分之一的工作將交由軟件機(jī)器人、實(shí)體機(jī)器人或客戶服務(wù)自動(dòng)化完成。 即便是精英階層也無(wú)法做到高枕無(wú)憂。 “盡管CEO們有理由相信我們不會(huì)被人工智能所取代,”倫敦勞埃德保險(xiǎn)公司(Lloyd's of London)的印加·比爾說(shuō)道。 “但我確信會(huì)有這么一天的!” (財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)) 作者:路透社 譯者:司慧杰/汪皓 |
Open markets and global trade have been blamed for job losses over the last decade, but global CEOs say the real culprits are increasingly machines. And while business leaders gathered at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos relish the productivity gains technology can bring, they warned this week that the collateral damage to jobs needs to be addressed more seriously. From taxi drivers to healthcare professionals, technologies such as robotics, driverless cars, artificial intelligence and 3-D printing mean more and more types of jobs are at risk. Adidas, for example, aims to use 3-D printing in the manufacture of some running shoes. "Jobs will be lost, jobs will evolve and this revolution is going to be ageless, it's going to be classless and it's going to affect everyone," said Meg Whitman, chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise So while some supporters of Donald Trump and Brexit may hope new government policies will bring lost jobs back to America's Rust Belt or Britain's industrial north, economists estimate 86% of U.S. manufacturing job losses are actually down to productivity, according to the WEF's annual risks report. "Technology is the big issue and we don't acknowledge that." Mark Weinberger, chairman of consultancy EY, said recently, arguing there was a tendency to always blame trading partners. The political backdrop is prompting CEOs to take more seriously the challenge of long-life training of workforces to keep up with the exponential growth of technological advances. "I think what we're reaching now is a time when we may have to find alternative careers through our lifetime," Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella told Reuters. Over the last decade, more jobs have been lost to technology than any other factor, and John Drzik, head of global risk at insurance broker Marsh, expects more of the same. "That is going to raise challenges, particularly given the political context." Drzik, who helped compile the WEF report, said. Compared to clamping down on immigration by tightening borders, dealing with the impact of technology destroying jobs is something that is perhaps even less easily controlled. For while many advanced technologies remain more expensive than low- or medium-skilled labour in the near term, the shift is likely to accelerate as costs come down. Widening Gap Technological advancements require governments, businesses and academic institutions to develop more educated and highly skilled workforces, executives in Davos said. But this shift to skilled workers also widens the income gap and fuels growing inequality. Jonas Prising, CEO of staffing firm ManpowerGroup, noted that U.S. unemployment is only about 2-2.5% among college-educated people but 9-10% among those with low or no skills. "The idea that we would ban automation as part of an evolution within the manufacturing industry, is not really part of the discussion," Prising said. He pointed to policies in countries like Denmark and Italy, where there is a focus on employability of workers. "If we don't own responsibility (for the problem of displaced workers), it's only going to get bigger." Procter & Gamble Chief Executive David Taylor said. Brawn and Brain The scope of the employment risk from what the WEF calls the "fourth industrial revolution" which "blurs the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres" is unclear. A University of Oxford study in 2013 said nearly half of U.S. jobs were at risk, while in 2015 Forrester Research predicted a net loss of only 7% by 2025, as some lost jobs will be replaced with new ones. Forrester predicts that by 2019, one-quarter of all job tasks will be offloaded to software robots, physical robots, or customer self-service automation. Even the corner office may not be safe. "CEOs feel reasonably confident we are not going to be replaced by artificial intelligence," Inga Beale, CEO of the Lloyd's of London insurance market, said. "But I'm sure there will be a time!" |