Electronic threat to jobs soon — Scots scientist

Press, 30 August 1978, Page 35

Electronic threat to jobs soon — Scots scientist

More advanced and cheaper computers could soon be threatening the jobs of many clerical and secretarial workers in the big industrial countries, according to a professor of computer science, Professor S. Michaelson. Professor Michaelson, who is attached to the University of Edinburgh, said in Christchurch that the understanding of computers was growing as rapidly as their speed. People were getting more confidence in the ability of computers to process the correct infor-

mation, and realising the economy measures that could be gained from computers. However, this was going to have a significant effect soon on the work force of all big industrial countries. “Over 50 per cent of the working population of the United States is involved in processing information, and about 40 per cent is involved in Britain. It is possible that a great deal of this work could be done by computer, thus putting people out of work,’’ said Professor Michaelson. Although, industrial countries had the power to replace their workers by machines, they did not have the power to give them another job. “This is creating a difficult prospect for people involved in clerical or secretarial work. A great deal of work done by this section of the work force could be automated out of existence because comput-

ers are becoming cheap to use and maintain. “Robot sensor arms are already being used to replace human workers on production lines. Only primitive types exist now, but a lot of experiments are being carried out on advancing the technology,” he said.