As technologies play increasingly important role in pushing forward modern economy development, debates related to technologies have never stopped since it, although created numerous jobs in new economic fields, forced many laborers to leave their posts, especially in those traditional manufacturing industries.
The paradox has been subjected to discussion for the world's business elites who are here for the meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Week and seeking answers.
Nicolas Aguzin, chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Asia-Pacific, said during a discussion at the APEC CEO Summit here on Wednesday that technology itself is good but it could be a factor to create a turmoil in the labor market or trigger tensions in certain countries or sectors if the technologic evolution is too fast.
The evolution of technologies made it more capable of replacing human workers from easy jobs since the start of industrial revolution hundreds years back to nowadays relative more sophisticated works.
In manufacturing companies, mechanic arms can lift tons of raw materials like a single feather and some could accurately weld tiny electronic elements on small but complex circuit boards for laptops, while in the service sector, beautiful human-like robot receptionists could even talk to their guests with jokes.
The jobs decades ago all belonged to human employees who lived on such works to feed their families. The development of technology raises concerns that the technology in terms of automation and artificial intelligence would take away more jobs from human employees.
According to a non-employed survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation, New York Times and CBS News, some 35 percent jobless people who were able to work said that technology replaced them from their job.
The poll covered those who were not currently employed between the ages of 25-54, generally considered to be prime working age, in 2014.
However, the other side of the coin should not be neglected. The development of technologies also has been creating more and more opportunities not only in traditional industries, but also in brand new economic fields it brought to the world.
The swelling number of vehicles on the street means growing demands of technicians for maintenance. Various goods in different parts of the world through online shops, which witness a momentum in recent years due to the development of internet and e-commerce, can be delivered to buyers wherever he is thanks to the fast growth of express delivery services and position locating system.
The development of e-commerce reduced and cut sales and number of staffs in department stores in recent years, but those who lost their jobs in the bricks and mortar shops have possibly already started their new business in the online commercial platform that could accommodate millions of small vendors to sell their products.
Aguzin said that the introduction of ATM in banks led to the reduction of bank tellers but finally exponentially increased the total number of jobs in the banking sectors.
Aran Maree, global chief medical officer for pharmaceuticals of Johnson & Johnson also believed that the power of technology is to improve the quality of life.
Robots are not to replace human, but to assist them, said Maree during the APEC CEO Summit.
Tang Ning, chairman and CEO of CreditEase, here on Thursday during the APEC summit also share the idea that technology will not replace people today but to empower them.
The evolution of human does not stop at this point and people will grow more intelligent and will be able to adopt new technology to perfect their jobs, said Tang.
Tang, whose company is helping micro small and medium-sized enterprises in finance, said that technology and model innovation could help lower level companies to enjoy higher level finance services to maintain a more sustainable and healthy development -- a guarantee for the small plants to create more jobs.
Besides, Aguzin explained that the issue behind technology's two faces is that education and training for laborers are much left behind the evolution of technologies.
The possible solution for the double-edged technology requires that training and education should reflect the real demand of the economy and businesses should carry out structural reforms to protect its workers in the period of evermore intrusion of technology in the global workforce.
"Human should have the rational to control the technology," commented Tang.
As the debate on technology's pros and cons on employment may continue, human beings should have the confidence that at least, it is human intelligence that design and create new technologies and artificial intelligence.
