The world is fast revolving and labour-replacing, time-saving machines have permeated every sphere of modern industries. Without a doubt, the groundbreaking innovations being witnessed in this era are valid attestations that technological advancement may be at its peak. Subsequent technological breakthrough is envisaged to be mere modifications of the ones currently being witnessed.
As easy as technology has made life to be, it has not been totally innocuous on humanity. At the pinnacle of its bane on mankind is rendering humanity redundant. Kids are no longer smart with calculations since a ready-made machine can get the job done quicker and more accurate. Farmers have replaced the 'joy’ in tilling the ground with the convenience, comfort and increased work-output that a tractor has to offer. Every effort of humanity now tilts towards the use of a machine for increased efficiency.
Of the three microeconomics units, the small individual household is the major supplier of labour to the mighty firms and powerful government who take it for granted especially when labour supply is in excess. When more humans compete for limited employment, labour bargaining power is weakened. This is not totally bad as unionization and unemployment insurance can help strengthen labour power. However, when machines are introduced into the competition, humans stand no chance. Who wouldn't want efficiency? Who wouldn't want a perfect job? Who wouldn't want to get things done quicker? The Nigerian banking industry in particular has witnessed the highest labour turnover rate in recent times due to computerization of the banking system. The bane of technology in this sense therefore, is the massive loss of job in the Nigerian banking sector/industry.
There are plethora of examples of job loss as a result of machines replacing humans. These examples are neither limited to Nigeria nor to the Nigerian banking sector but also abound in every sector of even the most civilised countries. Recently, I watched a video on the internet of a robot laying bricks. The background of the video and the format of the bricklaying suggested a First World country - most possibly the UK. At a consistent spacing and at a sustained speed, the robot picked up bricks, laced them with cement and laid them accordingly, all alone. It completed a job which could have taken human labour days, in just some hours. I used 'days’ to give respect to a First World country who could have made use of other not so sophisticated machines. In the outright absence of machines, it couldn't have taken mere human labour less than weeks for a job completed by a robot in hours. Now, imagine there are five of those robots working concurrently. The construction sector of the UK’s economy is sure to suffer labour turnover in the event of massive proliferation of the sector by robots.
In the face of the threatening employment environment orchestrated by machines, there is still a silver lining. Economics analysis goes beyond the short run period. Economics has foresight and that is why it espoused a period called the long run. In the long run when every factor becomes variable, some circumstances may no longer hold. The Nigerian banking sector earlier used as an example is now even more populated with labour than it was prior to the advent of machines. This is because, human labour is indispensable. To operate the computers, human labour is still required. Therefore, the more computers in a banking hall, the more labour needed, and the more the employment rate.
Indirectly, it is safe to say that machines proliferation creates employment and adds to a country's GDP. This entails human labour being needed in servicing of the machines to maintain efficiency, human labour being needed in the event of a breakdown. In fact, the machines are being invented with human labour which receives money wage. Also, there are people who leverage on machine inventions to become spare parts dealers. Evidently, the Nigerian informal sector is mostly crowded with machines spare parts retailers.
In conclusion, human labour should not see machines as competitors but as a leverage to gain employment. Machines cannot outrightly replace human labour. For every machine invented, there are at least, ten humans needed to maintain its efficiency. Human labour is indispensable.
Chidozie Martins Ugwu,
300L student of Economics, University of Lagos.
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