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Automation reduces potential errors.
While many in the IT field are still reacting to the prospect of jobs being sent to lower cost places (either in the flatlands of the US, Eastern Europe, India or Asia), many do not think of the potential for jobs being removed through technological progress. In IT, there was the trend to send jobs off shore to less expensive regions, then as tasks became more automatable (say deploying laptops with a given system/application configuration image using RIS on Windows 2000/2003, Symantec Ghost or cfengine (among others)) there is less need for a staff to perform the tasks.

In mass production of goods (and possibly also assembly of said goods), if you use an automated robotic system, you reduce the staffing needs and produce a consistant product at a lower cost (1 or 2 operators/engineers cost less than a room full of people doing assembly work). We witnessed this with the automotive industry many years back, they added the assembly line, robotics and other automation techniques to cust sotst and produce more product faster.

The gain in increased efficiency and responsiveness does have it's human toll, though. As a task becomes automatable, you need less people to do the work. This process will continue to happen, especially in technology driven businesses. Automation reduces staffing costs, increases predictablity and is generally a good thing!
Posted by: B.O.F.H.   Posted on: 03/12/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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MCDonalds is even entering the outsourcing game  JasonL31 | 03/11/05
Automation reduces potential errors.  B.O.F.H. | 03/12/05
I've made this point for years.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/12/05
It's not that new  IT_User | 03/13/05
Hmmm, yes and no...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/13/05
Its called Malthusian Economics...  Dave F_z | 03/13/05
Or WAR!!! Why create a whole new source when we can  Laff | 03/13/05
Growth industries  Roger Ramjet | 03/14/05
Butt don't all those jobs you listed depend on an economic  Laff | 03/14/05
Interrelationships  Roger Ramjet | 03/14/05
Not true, all of them are declining.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/14/05
Here's where I'd direct a youth today  voska | 03/14/05
Sorry but no...  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/14/05
Rise of the Machines  osreinstall | 03/14/05
And the flip side - people OUGHT to work terrible worthless mind numbing  quietLee | 03/14/05
Were you trying to make a point?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/14/05
For the sake of argument....  maxo_z | 03/15/05
er.. .60 ... not 6.00  maxo_z | 03/15/05
In some sense I.T. has been about this  Mark Miller | 03/12/05
I would also like to see a 30 hour work week.  DonnieBoy | 03/13/05
Nope....like IT the future for maintaining automation  Laff | 03/13/05
You know if it ever got to that point  voska | 03/14/05
Seems I remember a story about a man who was working  Laff | 03/13/05
Some jobs but not all  Chad_z | 03/12/05
There is what we hope, and then there is REALITY or what is  Laff | 03/13/05
I heard this same thing when I was a kid  voska | 03/14/05
Even if that is true I do not know if that will remain so.  Laff | 03/14/05
You need to know where the real economy is  voska | 03/14/05
3 to 4 hundred years!?! Seriously?  Laff | 03/14/05
Greed will prevent it  voska | 03/14/05
When all is said and done...I am but a cog iin the machine  Laff | 03/14/05
As long as we're talking some day.  Anton Philidor | 03/14/05
Both are smaller than diminished innovation  MyLord | 03/14/05
Okay what gives.  IT Scion | 03/14/05

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