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1Introduction 2 This introduction is not part of IEEE P/D<3>.
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15Participants 16At the time this draft was completed, the <Working Group Name> 17Working Group had the following membership: 18
, Chair
19
, Vice Chair
20 21Gordon Bland 22Participant2 23Participant3
30
24Participant4 25Participant5 26Participant6
27Participant7 28Participant8 29Participant9
31The following members of the [individual/entity] balloting committee voted on this . Balloters may have voted for approval, disapproval, or abstention. 33 34 (to be supplied by IEEE)
31.Job Automation Economic Effects 4With the increase of technology use in the workplace, humans have become obsolete for some jobs. 5Modern day automation has completely eliminated some production jobs whilst it has created jobs in new 6fields. With the freedom from mundane tasks because of automation, more creative tasks and jobs opened 7up. The jobs that are lost to machines then create new jobs for workers. Where a manual task was lost to a 8machine, jobs in design, manufacturing, and maintenance of the new machine may be created.
91.1 Negative Effects 10Computers along with automation have caused a decrease in jobs that once required many workers. Factory 11lines have now replaced workers with robots that are more efficient and less costly. What once required 12hundreds of workers to produce, automated factories may employee only a handful of workers to produce 13the products. These workers no longer produce the product, but instead they manage the machines and 14monitor their production. Due to the destruction of some jobs and the evolution of others, a change in 15required skills for workers is becoming more and more important. At one time, a secretary may have been 16required to write in shorthand, whilst now, secretaries are typically required to type on a computer at an 17established minimum speed. 181.1.1Job Destruction 19As early as the 1800s, jobs have been lost to machines. A group of people known as the Luddites destroyed 20weaving looms in fear of loss of jobs in textile factories [B1]. Once again in the 1950s and 1960s, machines 21scared the human workforce. 22In the 1950s and 1960s, automation was once again attacked. John F. Kennedy along with labor groups 23claimed the increasing unemployment was a result of the more efficient machines taking jobs of workers 24[B1]. A quote from a Times article in 1961 read, “Throughout industry, the trend has been to bigger 25production with a smaller work force. In the highly automated chemical industry, the number of production 26jobs has fallen 3% since 1956 while output has soared 27%,” [B2]. In Illinois, 315,000 were unemployed in 271961. According to Robert Johnson, the State Labor Director during that year, most of the unemployed 28were resultants of automation. [B2] Pennsylvania’s Congressman Elmer J. Holland said, “One of the 29greatest problems with automation is not the worker who is fired, but the worker who is not hired,” [B2]. 301.1.1.1Outsourcing of Jobs 31In more recent times, unemployment has been blamed on outsourcing of jobs; however, some disagree. 32During a Global Media Summit sponsored by Rockwell Automation (www.rockwellautomation.com), 33Milwaukee, Dan Miklovic said, “Recent studies show that manufacturing jobs are declining everywhere,” 34[B3]. According to an article by Wes Iversen in 2004, U.S. manufacturing jobs declined by more than 11 35percent from 1994-2004.
11.2Positive Effects 2Computers mark a point of economic stability where tasks that are seen as a burden for humans have been 3eliminated. This has allowed more time for creative and intellectual thinking, which is not a necessity for 4life. New industries have been created for the production of computers and the machines that automate 5tasks. In factories, robots have replaced the human worker that can make mistakes. The cheaper robot saves 6companies money as well as produces higher quality products more efficiently. 71.2.1Job Creation 8Jobs for computer and machine repair have been created from the widespread use in industry. Computer 9repairmen have replaced the once needed job of typewriter repairmen. Factories now employee workers to 10repair machines that produce products as well as people to monitor the machines in various aspects of 11production. In 1961, it was recognized that the loss of jobs to automation would result in an increase in the 12service industry [B2]. 13While many jobs have been lost to machines, 309.9 million from 1993-2002, 327.7 million new jobs were 14created during that same time period [B1]. While that gave a net increase of 17.8 million jobs, during 2004 15to 2014, the BLS projects that there will be another net increase of 18.9 million jobs with roughly half 16being seasonal jobs [B1]. 17As seen from statistics, it is apparent that jobs are continually created in place of ones lost as a part of an 18ever-evolving need for jobs due to new skill sets required from new technology. It is easy to attack 19technology when it comes to unemployment as economists lack imagination to see the new jobs that will be 20created [B1]. Technology when utilized correctly simply alters jobs and the paths they take. An example of 21this is during World War II, rooms full of workers sat at typewriters creating letters for government 22purposes. With computers, a few workers can replace what was once a large workforce, whilst new jobs are 23created to manufacture the computers, printers, and database servers. Workers are also required to fix these 24machines.
252.Ethics of Automation 26Computers were first created to make tasks easier. Complex mathematical equations were made simpler 27through the use of algorithms based on Boolean algebra, whilst mundane tasks of filing information could 28be automated. No longer was a person required to have tangible materials to work with such as files, but 29instead databases allowed massive amounts of information to be stored in a smaller footprint.
302.1Profit 31Computers were originally created to make tasks simpler. In doing so, they proved to be more efficient and 32mistakes were less. Because of this, companies have discovered that automation can create a better product 33with fewer defects as the human element is absent and production time is shortened. With more products 34being produced with fewer workers, profit margins increased. From a company perspective, it was a no 35brainer to move towards automation and remove the weak link—humans.
362.2Morals 37The drawback to automating companies is the removal of human workers from their jobs. Being human, 38morals come into play when a worker loses a job and they may not be able to support their children 30 2 31 32 33