Media might have too much science-fiction in it: millennials think computers and robots can replace them.
In an Infosys study, 40 percent of young people globally “thought a computer program, robot or artificial intelligence system could do their job within a decade,” according to the International Business Times.
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That sounds dramatic. Fears that technology could cause mass unemployment go back to Karl Marx and inveterate capitalists alike. Those bulldozers and excavators, after all, do the work of many shovels. The lower costs and increased productivity from technology advancement tend to spur other activities and innovations that can lead to more jobs.
Regardless, that apprehension and uncertainty about the future might be a beneficial form of anxiety. It makes millennials think strategically and anticipate where the money will be. “Millennials are adapting by collecting tech-related skills they can use in a variety of positions and keeping their job options open,” the Times notes.
The Infosys study found that young people are “an optimistic and pragmatic generation,” even though they’re less risk-averse and desire a more stable career. Even if millennials want something simpler or less fast-paced, they’re preparing for an economy that demands adaptation and constant flux.
Economic reality might force it, anyway. Those baby boomer entitlements need to be funded somehow, and a cranky generation will bear heavily on millennials if that doesn’t happen. The risk aversion might be coming from an unnecessary anxiety about the future, however. In developing countries such as Brazil, India, South Africa, and China, young people were more confident about their skills than Americans, Germans, the British, French, and Australians.
Emerging countries see technological progress as a welcoming boost to weaker economies. For developed economies, technology drives a crisis a confidence.
