Should We Slow Automation to Protect Jobs?
I work in a warehouse where we've slowly introduced robotic palletizers over the last three years. Productivity is up about 20%, but we've also cut our night shift from 15 people to 6, and those who left didn't all find new jobs easily. I'm wondering if the long-term societal benefit of automation is really worth the short-term pain for workers like my friends who lost those shifts. Do you think we should slow down automation to protect jobs, even if it means less economic growth?