Jobs Shrinking With Technology Replacing Cashiers

With the advent of technology, human sales force has slowly but surely been replaced by machines in virtually every industry, including the food industry. There has been a huge loss of jobs with many jobs and work categories actually disappearing from the employment scene.

In the fast food industry especially one can see technology replacing cashiers with electronic kiosks for self-checkout. Medium and low skilled jobs are especially in the firing line that on record are being held by people with colored skin.

If we take the fast food industry, many of them has already replaced humans with technologies that are consumer facing. The European branch of a leading American fast food chain has already replaced the human cashiers with 7,00O electronic touch screen cashiers. Having created a stir with this step, this fast food giant claims that the few number of electronic cashiers will not affect its number of workforce.

The introduction of robotic technology and reliance on computerization of businesses is fast changing face of industry. The touch screen that is being put up at fast food restaurants is meant to speed the whole process of ordering. Companies using this technology claim that it not only saves time and reduces human error but also gives the customers more control and popular to customize their order.

 Experts believe that the idea of technology replacing cashiers will soon take over other such jobs. They believe that companies have become wary of high labor costs that are constantly on the rise and this is why they are opting for technology to lower down the expenses where they can.

Reports suggest that in the next 10 to 20 years, robots, kiosks or other such technologies will replace more than half the jobs. It is noticeable though that the restaurant industry is estimated to have the highest number of growth in term of jobs in the coming years. It is, however, not sure what the workforce will be like by that time. Will it still have humans facing the customers or we will see robots and kiosks helping customers with food.

There are millions of people in the fast food industry who work as hosts, bussers, runners, servers, cooks, bartenders, cashiers and managers. And half of the people working in the above-mentioned profile are women.  Most women work behind the scene in the lowest paying jobs of the fast food industry. They work, as cashiers, dishwashers and bussers and these are the people who are at the highest risk of losing their jobs to robots and other computerized machines.

Political actions and reforms are happening to help these people at risk, but it is the threat from technology that is most threatening to their livelihood. The people who belong to this group of low skilled and medium skilled workforce does not have any way to look for high paying jobs. As these jobs shrink and disappear a new organizing model is what is needed to safeguard the needs of the poor in the society from no other than technology, which is boon for some and bane for many in the current scenario.