AUS
NZ
UK
CA
USA
IND
Summary
- With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, more companies could be inclined to embrace automation technology, pointed a recent report by Statistics Canada.
- The number of Canadians working in non-routine, cognitive occupations, which mostly involve managerial, professional and technical positions, rose from 23.8 per cent in 1987 to 31.2 per cent in 2018.
- The study found a “gradual shift” from routine tasks to advanced, non-routine occupations involving technology over the past three decades.
While technological advancements in businesses generally result in reducing manual labor and work hours, it can also often have a negative impact for workers who depend on manual tasks. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, amid which businesses faced massive operational setbacks due to social distancing and other safety measures, more companies could be inclined to embrace automation technology, pointed a recent report by Statistics Canada.
The national data agency recently conducted a study, in partnership with the Institute for Research on Public Policy, that tracked the degree of technology used in four occupational task groups between 1987 and 2018. It also took a closer glance at the time period between 2011 and 2018, when artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning made rapid advances.
What Did The Study Find?
The study, named ‘The Changing Nature of Work in Canada Amid Recent Advances in Automation Technology, found a “gradual shift” from routine tasks to advanced, non-routine occupations involving technology over the past three decades.
©Kalkine Group 2020
Despite the development in AI technology, the study found that it did not contribute to bring about much change in the nature of work in Canada, at least not till 2018. But the cumulative changes, however, were noticeable.
The number of Canadians working in non-routine, cognitive occupations, which mostly involve managerial, professional and technical positions, rose from 23.8 per cent in 1987 to 31.2 per cent in 2018.
Employees holding jobs in the service industry, which primarily require non-routine and manual work, saw a moderately slower growth in the 30-year period, up from 19.2 per cent to 21.8 per cent. The study noted that the comparatively marginal increase in the number of Canadians working in the service industry could be reasoned by the changes in the country’s industrial structure in the span of 30 years.
Meanwhile, the share of employees working in routine manual labor, such as in the production industry or occupations involving craft, repair and operations, saw a sharp decline from 29.7 per cent in 1987 to 22.2 per cent in 2018.
Those holding on to sales, clerical and administration oriented jobs also saw a decline in their numbers over the three-decade period, down from 27.3 per cent in 1987 to 24.9 per cent in 2018.
