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How Can a Human Justify Asking to be Paid $15 to Work?
by Mish Shedlock, Mish Talk:
McDonald’s announced it will replace cashiers in 2,5000 stores with self-service kiosks.
The story buzzed across the internet but Business Insider reported McDonald’s shoots down fears it is planning to replace cashiers with kiosks.
Official Denial
“McDonald’s has repeatedly said that adding kiosks won’t result in mass layoffs, but will instead move some cashiers to other parts of the restaurant where it’s adding new jobs, such as table service. The burger chain reiterated that position again on Friday.”
Is McDonald’s denial believable? What would you expect the company to say?
McDonald’s has to deny the story or it might have a hiring problem, a morale problem, and other problems.
“Our CEO, Steve Easterbrook, has said on many occasions that self-order kiosks in McDonald’s restaurants are not a labor replacement,” a spokeswoman told Business Insider. “They provide an opportunity to transition back-of-the-house positions to more customer service roles such as concierges and table service where they are able to truly engage with guests and enhance the dining experience.”
Move cashiers to table service? Really?
Yeah, right.
An interesting political rule from the British sitcom “Yes, Minister” is to “never believe anything until it’s officially denied”.
Will Humans Be Necessary?
When someone can be replaced by a robot, how can the push for $15 be justified?
Psychology Today asks Will Humans Be Necessary?
Will automation kill as many jobs as is feared? A widely cited Oxford University study predicts that 47% of jobs could be automated in the next decade of two. Price Waterhouse pegs the U.S. risk at 38%. McKinsey estimates that 45% of what people are paid for could be automated using existing technology!
No less than Tesla’s Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Stephen Hawking fear the loss of jobs will cause world cataclysm.
Lower-level jobs at risk
Let’s start with jobs likely to be eliminated, starting with the present and with those lower-level jobs.
Already, don’t you prefer a ATM to a teller, self-checkout to the supermarket checker, drive-through tolls rather than stop for the toll-taker, automated airline check-in rather than waiting for a clerk, shopping on Amazon rather than fighting traffic, parking, and the check-out experience with a live clerk, assuming the store has what you want in your size? Indeed, malls are closing while online retailers led by Amazon are growing.
