Does anyone remember lift attendants? We need to refresh and update ourselves
This article is also available here in Spanish.

Does anyone remember lift attendants? We need to refresh and update ourselves

My list

Author | Marcos MartínezIn 1853, the Otis Elevator Company began installing manual elevators. Unlike the ones we know today, they required an operator known as a “lift attendant”. For more than a century it was a much sought-after profession and, yet, today it is very hard to find one.Does anyone today actually remember lift attendants?  The truth is we are probably surrounded by professions which, by mid-century, everyone will have forgotten. Skills such as driving or food preparation are already on the automation horizon, therefore, we need to refresh and update our crafts.

When will manual drivers disappear?

The comparison between lift attendants and professional drivers is just too easy not to give in to it. We have spent over 50 years developing autonomous driving systems, but the truth is we are not really sure when we will see the results. 2020? 2025? 2030?The first autonomous vehicles are already circulating around the world, and there are dozens of leading brands that have announced the sale of highly-automated models for 2020. It seems that in a few years millions of people will have to look for new skills in order to find jobs.Automatic lifts already existed in around 1900. However, users didn’t trust them, and it took decades for them to have a strong presence in cities. Autonomous mobility is progressing at a much faster rate, according to figures released by Deloitte (above).In 2017, 74% of Americans, 79% of Japanese and 62% of Chinese people doubted these cars. Barely one year later, these percentages have dropped drastically, except for specific increases.  A few years from now, people will be ready for driverless cars, as drivers will disappear as fast as lift attendants did, together with other professions.

Accounting and catering at risk of automation

Autonomous mobility is a very visible and current topic, but there are other sectors that automation will reach even sooner, and with great force. According to Osborne and Frey’s figures in their 2017 review, but also in the European Social Survey 2014  (less controversial), the threat of automation in entire sectors is very high. Financial and insurance activities stand at around 68.2% and catering at 63.4%.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKBHnbYo-4sFor professionals, the TOP 5 are headed by office workers (97.4%), accountants and personnel in charge of recording materials (96.3%), food preparation assistants (90.4%, see an example above), assemblers (87.9%) and machinery operators (87.3%).

Are we developing other skills?

The truth is jobs are not being automated, specific skills are. The problem arises when our profession depends on just a few skills and these have a high risk of functioning by means of machines.The more routine and manual the skills, the more urgent it is to develop new crafts. There are already limited but functional fast food establishments (not necessarily unhealthy ones) that no longer use chefs or waiters, and they will expand rapidly.This means that, as workers, we need to develop skills and competences that will be required in the future. According to the study ‘The future of jobs report’, conducted by the World Economic Forum, the most sought-after labour skills in 2020 will be creativity, complex problem solving and critical thinking.As machines take hold of monotonous, repetitive and low-aggregate value jobs, people will be able to seek positions related, precisely, to social skills and related to abstract thinking that is innate to humans. The future is promising, but we need to be prepared.Images | Boris Stefanik, Deloitte

Related content

Recommended profiles for you

FS
Fabio Sousa
Macnica DHW Ltda
President of the Macnica operation in South America
LS
Lee St James
Urban Robotics Foundation
IC
Irwing Castellanos
Gobierno de Tabasco
Estrategias de Gobierno Digital
EH
Entrepreneur Harsh
need team
Not yet
RA
Rigo Annesophie
Schréder
Event Marketing Project manager
SC
Sofia Cipiran
buena
GB
Gavin Beckett
Placecube
EL
Elisabeth Lasky
Freelance
Designing more inclusive, open, attractive events that make that heart of the European Project shine
TS
Tim Sturkenboom
SAP
Global Account Executive
RR
Ridho Syahputra Ridho
University of Medan Area
lecturer
AE
Andreas Economides
Cyprus Telecommunications authority ( Cyta )
Partnerships and new Ventures Coordinator
FM
Francesca Mollica
Turner & Townsend
Associate Director at Turner & Townsend - global Project & Cost Management consultant
WN
Wai Yin Gary Ng
Rich Ocean International Holdings Limited
Associate Partner
MR
Massimiliano Raponi
Intratel sp. z o.o.
SS
Syaiful bakhtiar Salim
Creative creed
Director
FM
Fernando Mckay
Cable & Wireless Panamá, S.A.
National Projects
AY
Artem Yasinskyi
SE7ENSKY.com
KB
Karin Beckérus
Sparks & Benders
EF
Eko Febrianto Farid
IVENDO/Goldwing Event Organizer
Director in a company / Regional Chairman in an organization
MW
Michelle Wols
ForwardKeys