With the introduction of robotics to automotive manufacturing, there have been sweeping changes to the automotive assembly line, management and operations at plants. As an example, in a truck manufacturing plant, identify who would most likely be impacted by this technology change and suffer long term structural unemployment?

With the introduction of robotics to automotive manufacturing, there have been sweeping changes to the automotive assembly line, management and operations at plants. In a Truck manufacturing plant, the following will be most likely impacted by this technology change and suffer long term structural unemployment

Truck drivers Engineers Administrative Staff

Explanation:

Structural unemployment results from industrial reorganization, due to technological change, rather than fluctuations in supply or demand.

Those that will be hardest hit are truck drivers, manual laborers and certain administrative staff whose tasks that involves inventory management, stock keeping, etc who will be replaced with automated trucks.

Some engineers such as mechanical engineers may be replaced by robots. However, this will create room for another profession - Robotics engineering.

Robotics engineers who work for robot manufacturers are sometimes called robotics test engineers or automation system engineers. These engineers apply the robotic system to a particular use on a manufacturing assembly line. They also create an integrated environment between people and machinery.

An assembly line worker with 10 years of screwing together truck panels and a high school diploma

Explanation:

The assembly worker is involved in manual work and he is most likely to lose his job due to automation. Also, since he is just a high school diploma holder, he lacks better skills to switch to higher level jobs.