₦airaland Forum

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One of the greatest problems confronting governments around the world is that of unemployment. It has been the sole reason why an administration was voted out and why another was elected. Needless to say, one of the shiny promises of the present regime in government during the election period was that it would create 3 million jobs. The Donald Trump’s administration considers lower rate of employment as one of its greatest successes.

This point will not cease to be an important factor in every sphere of the globe because the low rate of unemployment will translate to lower crime incidences. Yet, despite how important this is, the future doesn’t look too good. History has shown it, and the current pattern of events is already working towards that goal.

A look at history

For the sake of those who may be interested in examples, let’s take a look at one or two historical events that share a semblance with what’s playing out in our day.

The invention of earth moving machines

In the early 1900s, the construction of roads and bridges was a huge task that required a lot of manual labour. To build roads and level grounds required huge manpower with shovel, cutlasses, mules and other crude tools. As some writers put it, the whole scene pretty much seemed to be part of the Stone Age.

However, this began to change as one man, R.G. LeTourneau , wanted a way to execute the projects faster and at a cheaper cost. Being a mechanical engineer, he started inventing machines and earth moving equipments that could get the job done the way he envisioned. Within his lifetime, he had over 300 patented engineering designs and played an integral role in building some of the famous earth moving machines used during the second war.

However, this technological stride came at a price as it led to many of the people who offered their labour for money losing their means of livelihood. It was indeed a difficult moment in the United States as the news of the inventions was a sweet bitter pill which pushed the unemployment rate up.

The creation of internet phone calls

Away from this event faraway in history, let’s use another example that’s easier to grasp. Right from the invention of telephone by Alexander Graham, many people wanted an opportunity to communicate at a cheaper price. While instant messaging from AOL seemed like a good deal, people wanted to communicate better and in real time. This prayer was answered in 1995 when the first voice internet call was made, referred to as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

However, this technological upgrade took time to spread to other parts of the world. WhatsApp, for instance, though created in 2009 didn’t begin voice messaging till 2013. This technological improvement sparked problems in Nigeria (and other parts of the world) for telecommunication service providers. By 2016, Nigeria Telcos were hashing a plan to block WhatsApp and Skype because of the revenue shortfall they caused in the telecoms industry. The mere fact that the telecoms companies could agree on one thing speaks volumes.
When this didn’t work, and the companies continued to lose subscribers resulting in a sharp fall in revenue, it was time to put in desperate measures. That triggered off massive retrenchment of staff with Airtel once relieving over 3,000 of its staff of their jobs in one move. Many can still vividly remember this period. It was an avalanche of one bad news after another.

A look at the future

While there are many indications that that things are headed that route like never before, for the sake of space, let’s quickly analyze two future technological goals that are doomsday prophecies in themselves even though they are still technological advancements.

The long discussed global warming issue was one of the reasons that fuelled the invention of the electric cars. The cars would strike out the problem of emission of smoke which is bad for the environment. By 2030, most countries would have phased out the use of electric cars. This invariably means demand would drop for oil and would likely cause at least 1/3 of the workforce in oil countries lose their jobs. Consider the fact that Nigeria depends on oil as major source of income and you’d know the economic crisis that happened last year may just repeat itself soon except measures are put in place to diversify.

On the other hand, WhatsApp recently announced that it has integrated payments that would run like mobile wallet into its app. This means tougher times are coming for banks as this would mean lesser money in traditional bank accounts. You are probably aware of the mass retrenchment that happened in the banking sector last year; with this financial innovation from WhatsApp, it may just occur again in another heavy fashion.

What should a smart person think?

As more innovations are popping up to advance ease of life and business, more people are bound to lose their jobs. In all this, what should the smart person in Nigeria think? The answer....

youngmajor:
[img]https://2.bp..com/-3gjA-WO3XpU/WookycnZmqI/AAAAAAAAAMA/ZMuFIH5roAUiaKNoAjBhwqxMvpKd653rACLcBGAs/s1600/welcome%2Bto%2Breality.jpg[/img]

One of the greatest problems confronting governments around the world is that of unemployment. It has been the sole reason why an administration was voted out and why another was elected. Needless to say, one of the shiny promises of the present regime in government during the election period was that it would create 3 million jobs. The Donald Trump’s administration considers lower rate of employment as one of its greatest successes.

This point will not cease to be an important factor in every sphere of the globe because the low rate of unemployment will translate to lower crime incidences. Yet, despite how important this is, the future doesn’t look too good. History has shown it, and the current pattern of events is already working towards that goal.

A look at history

For the sake of those who may be interested in examples, let’s take a look at one or two historical events that share a semblance with what’s playing out in our day.

The invention of earth moving machines

In the early 1900s, the construction of roads and bridges was a huge task that required a lot of manual labour. To build roads and level grounds required huge manpower with shovel, cutlasses, mules and other crude tools. As some writers put it, the whole scene pretty much seemed to be part of the Stone Age.

However, this began to change as one man, R.G. LeTourneau , wanted a way to execute the projects faster and at a cheaper cost. Being a mechanical engineer, he started inventing machines and earth moving equipments that could get the job done the way he envisioned. Within his lifetime, he had over 300 patented engineering designs and played an integral role in building some of the famous earth moving machines used during the second war.

However, this technological stride came at a price as it led to many of the people who offered their labour for money losing their means of livelihood. It was indeed a difficult moment in the United States as the news of the inventions was a sweet bitter pill which pushed the unemployment rate up.

The creation of internet phone calls

Away from this event faraway in history, let’s use another example that’s easier to grasp. Right from the invention of telephone by Alexander Graham, many people wanted an opportunity to communicate at a cheaper price. While instant messaging from AOL seemed like a good deal, people wanted to communicate better and in real time. This prayer was answered in 1995 when the first voice internet call was made, referred to as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

However, this technological upgrade took time to spread to other parts of the world. WhatsApp, for instance, though created in 2009 didn’t begin voice messaging till 2013. This technological improvement sparked problems in Nigeria (and other parts of the world) for telecommunication service providers. By 2016, Nigeria Telcos were hashing a plan to block WhatsApp and Skype because of the revenue shortfall they caused in the telecoms industry. The mere fact that the telecoms companies could agree on one thing speaks volumes.
When this didn’t work, and the companies continued to lose subscribers resulting in a sharp fall in revenue, it was time to put in desperate measures. That triggered off massive retrenchment of staff with Airtel once relieving over 3,000 of its staff of their jobs in one move. Many can still vividly remember this period. It was an avalanche of one bad news after another.

A look at the future

While there are many indications that that things are headed that route like never before, for the sake of space, let’s quickly analyze two future technological goals that are doomsday prophecies in themselves even though they are still technological advancements.

The long discussed global warming issue was one of the reasons that fuelled the invention of the electric cars. The cars would strike out the problem of emission of smoke which is bad for the environment. By 2030, most countries would have phased out the use of electric cars. This invariably means demand would drop for oil and would likely cause at least 1/3 of the workforce in oil countries lose their jobs. Consider the fact that Nigeria depends on oil as major source of income and you’d know the economic crisis that happened last year may just repeat itself soon except measures are put in place to diversify.

On the other hand, WhatsApp recently announced that it has integrated payments that would run like mobile wallet into its app. This means tougher times are coming for banks as this would mean lesser money in traditional bank accounts. You are probably aware of the mass retrenchment that happened in the banking sector last year; with this financial innovation from WhatsApp, it may just occur again in another heavy fashion.

What should a smart person think?

As more innovations are popping up to advance ease of life and business, more people are bound to lose their jobs. In all this, what should the smart person in Nigeria think? The answer....

More: http://www.nigeriaonlinebusiness.com/2018/02/truth-for-wise-dont-expect-more-jobs-in.html

Tunagee:
Wow! I love this very realistic write up. thanks

youngmajor:
More: http://www.nigeriaonlinebusiness.com/2018/02/truth-for-wise-dont-expect-more-jobs-in.html

pinnket:
Wetin make we come dey do in the future na?


Anyway i believe in as much as there is innovations, there will always be opportunities....


Electric cars need power stations with humans to work there just like filling stations, so as other inventions too will need human assistance in one way or another..

youngmajor:
More: http://www.nigeriaonlinebusiness.com/2018/02/truth-for-wise-dont-expect-more-jobs-in.html

okoliexpress:
the truth is that jobs are not really lost, its like money it moves, i believe that no matter the technological advancements this world witnesses there will still be need for man power to make it work. a typical example from the op's quote if the world adopts electric cars as the norm, yes it will give rise to heavy unemployment for the oil and gas dependents but it will in turn lead to a significant rise in employment for countries rich in cobalt which is key for producing the batteries. Another example is the advent of social media led to a job loss for a lot of people in traditional pr/advertising but in the same vein it has given rise to jobs also, today you hear about companies employing graphic designers for social media, social media marketer, strategist, campaigner and what have you,to me, na so e dey, as the saying goes life na turn by turn, some years ago it was typewriters today its computers, the key is for you as an individual to keep learning so as to remain relevant no matter what innovation the world sees. in conclusion op you shared an incomplete truth.