"Before computers, refrigerators, and modern medicine, basic menial tasks required human labor. People once relied on jobs like ice cutters and knocker-ups in their daily lives. Some jobs, like leech collectors and the groom of the stool, are every bit as bizarre as they sound."
"The current labor market is struggling due to factors such as the implementation of AI, creating uncertainty about the future of many jobs. AI experts have even predicted the technology's takeover of blue-collar jobs in the near future. But this isn't the first time that whole swaths of the labor market have faced extinction."
Throughout history, technological advancement has eliminated entire categories of jobs that were once essential to daily life. Before modern conveniences like electricity, refrigeration, and automobiles, occupations such as ice cutters, knocker-ups, leech collectors, and the groom of the stool provided necessary services. The Industrial Revolution marked a significant period of occupational extinction, similar to current concerns about AI's impact on today's workforce. By examining historical employment records from 1850 and international labor data, researchers identified approximately 20 unusual occupations that have largely disappeared from modern labor markets, demonstrating that job displacement through technology is not a new phenomenon.
#occupational-obsolescence #technological-disruption #labor-market-history #industrial-revolution #ai-and-employment
Read at Business Insider
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