Machines are expected to displace about 20 million manufacturing jobs across the world. That’s according to a recent report from global forecasting and quantitative analysis firm Oxford Economics. Because of this, Amazon is helping U.S. workers stay employed in this increasingly automated economy.
To do so, Amazon will spend $700 million over the next six years to help retrain a third of its U.S. workers, reports CNN Business. The voluntary training—available to 100,000 by 2025—comes in addition to the company’s existing programs and initiatives.
Consequently, the training will enable Amazon employees move into more advanced jobs or, if necessary, into new positions outside the company. Warehouse workers in fulfillment centers, for example, could be trained technical roles in IT. Amazon’s initiative comes in response to the replacement of human workers by robots and artificial intelligence.
“While many of our employees want to build their careers here, for others it might be a stepping stone to different aspirations,” Amazon’s Beth Galetti said in a prepared statement. “We think it’s important to invest in our employees and to help them gain new skills and create more professional options for themselves.”
What will happen to your job when robots displace 8.5 percent of the global manufacturing workforce?