Employment in the Information Age

Employment in the information age

IT has influenced nearly every aspect of everyone’s lives, it has recently been stated that technology threatens a third of UK jobs. Jobs such as library assistants and clerks have already decreased by more than 40% across the UK since 2001. There are very few jobs that do not require some sort of computer skill. There are the obvious ones such as office working and newly advanced jobs like a postman who now requires carrying an electronic pad and record things electronically rather than with a paper and pen. Computers are found in all sorts of jobs were they wouldn’t have been before; things have changed and have done so rapidly. However there are still many places in the world that do not use computers instead of human power, the state of their economy depicts this.

 

Negative Impacts of IT on Employment

 

IT in business has the biggest impact in making things faster, more efficient and means that companies do not have to pay as many and as much wages. All these factors are good for the businesses performance but have a negative effect on the employment of people.

 

People have been put out of work because of the increase in IT in business. The industry’s that have been affected the greatest are things like the car industry, many mechanics and craftsmen have been made redundant due to the development in robotics which are now making cars quicker and more precisely than any manpower ever could. This also highlights how factory workers have been reduced in numbers as many things are now ran by computers themselves and their only needs to be someone there to overlook the machinery there is generally hardly any physical work now done inside a factory.

 

Another place that IT has replaced man power in is with skilled work such as sewing, many things are now mass produced so those people who are seamstresses are now out of jobs due to the advances in machinery being able to make the clothing faster and even at a better standard than someone who had stitches. Another skilled work that has suffered is the crafting industries such as wood and metal work; many things are now mass produced with the aid of machinery, there is no physical handling and crafting but rather the machineries finishing touch. This has meant those that have crafted for years are being replaced by the newest technology, business are no longer requiring crafts men/women.

 

Designer’s jobs have also been affected; people who are not particularly good at drawing can be trained to do computer design. These design are then aided by a computer who does it all itself, so there is no real need for someone who can draw perspectives or detailed work as it is much easier for a company to buy a computer that will do all the work for them.

 

 

 

Positive Impacts of IT on Employment

 Although computers and computer aided machinery may be taking over there are still many people that value hand crafted products and many would rather a hand crafted item than one made by a machine because they know that someone has put time and effort into making the item rather than it being mass produced, there is something authentic about it. So many crafts men are still required for peoples own satisfaction.

 

IT has meant that new jobs have been created we now need computer programmers and there is a lot of money in the industry. This means hat there are more job opportunities and as the industry expands it only means that there are going to be more jobs available.

 

We also require people who can maintain the equipment; we need computer technicians to fix the computers and to maintain a smooth system. This produces a new range of jobs, as we now need engineers in computing and require higher trained people to look after the computer aided machinery. This all results In the employees getting a higher wage as the computer industry is worth billions and the more you are involved the more knowledge you obtain so the more you are worth to them.

 

There are many online websites that have opened up a lot of job opportunities a great example of this is Amazon who have created thousands of jobs for people to work in their warehouses; as long as the website is in business their jobs are pretty much guaranteed. There are also companies such as Microsoft who specialise In online software’s who have opened up many jobs for apprentices and permanent positions.

 

 

Other Aspects

 

IT has made everyone’s job a little easier; computers have taken away a lot of chores. They have allowed us to do jobs that may have put us in dangerous situations such as going up to space, we now have machinery that can go there and film it all for us as we may not be able to cope in the conditions as well as a computer aided machine can.

 IT has also made many people’s jobs easier with things like the advances in SAT NAV’s which now allow delivery to be more efficient and easier for them to do. They are able to deliver things to locations that they may have never heard of before with the aid of their SAT NAV.

 We can now also work in great distances; we are able to transfer information across the world with ease. This has made many peoples jobs easier and more accessible worldwide.

 Office life has changed incredibly and most things in the office are now run by IT, there has also been a great expand in call centres and communication for businesses and between businesses over the internet.

All these factors have affected the amount of employment available, with many things being taken over by machinery meaning many lose out however it has also benefited others. Businesses are producing more and at a more effective rate, they are able to improve their efficiency and make jobs with higher wage potential open and available for people to take.

My own experience of employment in the information age

 

With my own Saturday job I use a computer ran till, I don’t have to enter any numbers I just scan the barcode of the item and the computer does the rest. The only thing I really have to think about is the amount of change I give back to the customer, but I am given a number and have to give the right coins or notes. So my employment has already been affected by IT, most things are ran by the computer in the store. I rarely have to write something, the most common thing I will write is my signature and possibly the date but even any communication with customers outside of the shop is done via a phone call or text.