A few days ago I was listening to a program on the radio that was discussing the current state of the building trade in the UK.
I wasn’t paying that much attention during the start of the show as they discussed the progress in 3D printing, which is allegedly now being used to produce prefabricated panels for buildings. The suggestion being that 3D printing makes building cheaper, quicker and less labour intensive. Prefabricated buildings have been around for many years in one form or another, so that wasn’t really news, but the 3D printing bit made it sound a bit cooler… 🙂
After extolling the virtues of 3D printing, the program moved on to the impact of all this on the building trade and that’s where it got interesting. To cut a long story short they said this method of building would have a big impact on employment levels in the building trade, saying bricklayers would be a thing of the past. Allegedly the UK building trade and the associated unions are resisting this change, but finance would inevitably make this happen and then what happens to all the builders? Allegedly there is no steer from the building trade, unions or government about how we will cope with the unemployment associated with this shift in the industry, or possible retraining necessary…
You’ll notice I’ve said allegedly a lot, as I don’t know how factual this discussion was, but it was interesting all the same…
So I was sitting in the car thinking, “That sounds familiar!” 🙂 I’ve been talking about the changes in our industry a lot recently. It’s not time to panic, but it’s not sensible to stick your head in the sand and wake up one day to find you are surplus to requirement…
Cheers
Tim…
Update: With reference to a comment, in the UK houses are still predominantly brick built. Offices and high-rise is a different story. 🙂
I thought bricklayers have been a thing of the past for a long time. Most of the buildings today are panel buildings, I believe, and it doesn’t matter whether the panels were 3d printed or not. Still, there are, and always will be special cases, when you need a bricklayer, be it restoration or a new building.
But yeah, these apocalyptic posts that you keep producing made me start doing programming in my free time, so I would have back up skills in case you are right 😀
The fixation of some “economic experts” on the absolute need to eliminate human labour and human work is right up there with those who think that a society and economy based entirely on consumer spending can survive without consumer income…
🙂
stee1rat: In the UK housing is still predominantly brick. Offices and high-rise housing is mostly prefab. RE: “apocalyptic posts”. Made me LOL. If you are now programming, my work here is done! 🙂
Noons: I agree.
Cheers
Tim…
DBA is thinking, working, adapting, I am not upsetted for us, I am much more scared for those who have a job that didn’t move for decades and is beeing automated… Most important part of population…
This is unfortunately the future of the world …
People, ALL of them, will end by being eliminated, regardless of whether they are brick layers
or IT staff.
And then, guess what ? ONLY the leaders will remain, alone !
Iudith: I see no problem in some of the job going. The key is to make people focus on areas where humans add value.
Cheers
Tim…