Evolving technology continues to play a big role with jobs. But what does it mean for the future, and which lines of work could be impacted the most by the advancement of technology?
Walmart, a huge national employer, is now using robots in dozens of their stores to scan items. Some worry that robots will replace their jobs.
Aaron Wright works for United Technology in Springdale, Arkansas, not far from Bentonville, Arkansas, the birthplace of Walmart.
"Every day I travel the country, some of these folks are almost in tears because they're saying, ‘I can't find people do this work; I can't find people who want to do this job,’" says Wright.
Wright sells robots that can weld, move material, and do it fast.
"As much as I hear politicians say or rail about job creation, the jobs are there, but there are a lot of folks having trouble finding people who will do a repetitive job."
Should people have a real fear that robots will take over their jobs? Wright doesn’t think so.
"People should not have that fear,” says Wright. “Very rarely does somebody get sent home. If you're a good employee, and you're showing up on time and you have the desire to work and the desire to learn more skills at your job, typically those people are dedicated to something else in the facility."
Wright, however, does think that robots in the workplace will become more common in the future.
"You know, humans are still really amazing,” explains Wright. “They have hands, opposable thumbs, minds, and all that, so they are very adaptable. I see the machines doing things that we are not very content with doing."