The United Nations has a Conference on Trade and Development. An interesting article was posted on their site, titled “Who are the blockchain winners and losers?”, focusing on growing concern over anticipated job loss that will specifically be driven by the mass implementation of blockchain technology.
Part of the focus of the article points out that traditionally technological innovation has impacted blue collars more so than white-collar ones. Job loss to blockchain is far more likely to impact white-collar workers and those who work for “middlemen”. Much of the focus on the post is on the impact expected in logistics, which essentially means getting things from one place to another. In the US, there is already a sweeping wave of modernization programs as the nation’s large and small logistics firms using blockchain, almost all of which will lead to workforce reductions. Profits will go up, but more classifications of jobs will shrink or disappear, often leaving workers in the lurch. Unfortunately for dedicated workers, who may face job loss to blockchain innovation, the gains in profit that blockchain promises are expected to be immense, so little hope exists that mass blockchain implementation is expected.
Interesting, unlike with some other types of technical advancements, it appears that job loss to blockchain innovation is unlikely to create any new jobs in the process. Its just a job eliminator.
What do you think?