Honoring the American Labor Movement

Labor Day is a day to honor the American worker! The American worker is the force behind our country’s success. As the U.S. Department of Labor reports, the vital force of labor, added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known, has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the “creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom and leadership — the American worker.”

As we celebrate this day, we also need to acknowledge that we are in the midst of a massive technological revolution! This is changing the future of work. Among the many different technologies that are automating much of our lives, AI is the most feared.

AI won’t take our jobs, but will rather augment them by doing the things we humans don’t do so well (Forbes)

Artificial Intelligence is modifying the way we work

Many workers are redefining their skill sets to stay ahead of the automated future, which is a great idea because the automated future isn’t slowing down any time soon. IBM projects that by 2020, the number of jobs for all data professionals in the United States will increase from 364,000 openings to 2,720,000! As some workers may be intimidated by the changing landscape of the workplace, AI should be celebrated rather than feared, as it’s expected to create millions of new jobs for the American labor force. While the Technological Revolution eliminates some jobs, it’s also adding quality jobs, creating better lifestyles for American workers. Workers and employers should embrace the tremendous benefits artificial intelligence brings to the workforce and to the workplace.

Another concern for today’s worker is stagnant wage growth. This problem could be solved by gradually raising the minimum wage to $15 by 2024, which would directly lift the wages of 22.5 million workers and directly or indirectly lift wages for 41.5 million workers (nearly 30% of all U.S. workers), according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Some good news for American workers today, more people are getting back to work, as the jobless rate reached an 18-year low of 3.8% in May and has stood firm the past several months, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

All in all, this is a better time than ever to be in the United States workforce. There is more flexibility than ever. Job choices are plentiful. It’s an employee’s market; giving workers more power to choose the jobs they desire. There is more opportunity than ever to use your creativity at work. Working from home is being embraced by more and more employers as well. We are at the win-win situation where the American worker is happy and the employer enjoys higher productivity from their employees. This leads to greater job satisfaction for everybody involved.

Happy Labor Day to all of the hard workers that continue to bolster America’s economy on a 24/7 cycle, 365 days a year. Today, we honor you.

    Sue Bhatia — Respected Leader in IT Services

    Written by

    Himanshu (Sue) Bhatia founded Rose International in 1993 and continues to oversee the firm’s technology and workforce solutions as chairman.

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