The Future of Work

It’s a topic which has received increased media attention recently – just what shape does work take in the future? Will robots take our jobs? Will artificial intelligence render humans obsolete?

It has immediate relevance in the commercial and industrial real estate sector, as the way people work influences the type of buildings they need.

In the USA we have seen massive impact on the shopping mall market as online shopping has taken market share from retailers, and decimated mall anchor tenants. Here in New Zealand we have seen the percentage of industrial buildings devoted to office decline from 25% to less than 10% in a relatively short period of time. So what happens next as technology impacts further ?

Kinley Salmon, a New Zealand economist who works in Washington DC, has written a far sighted book looking at common predictions about a jobless future, and explores what might happen to workers as automation becomes more widespread. “Jobs, Robots & Us – why the future of work in New Zealand is in our hands“ is a timely book that makes the important point that there are choices to be made about the kind of society we want, with technology serving us, not the other way round.

“Jobs, Robots & Us” was published by Bridget Williams Books with the assistance of the Alterno Foundation.  To buy click on this link https://www.bwb.co.nz/books/jobs-robots-us