How can new technologies not only create more jobs, but also help increase diversity and deter discrimination in the workplace? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
Answer by Marga Hoek, Author of “Tech for Good”, on Quora:
Unlocking new markets of all types with technology – even when it challenges the status quo and is not the easy path forward – will rejuvenate the economy. In addition, tech market innovations will help manage environmental, social, and governance challenges. Let’s look at some examples. Take artificial intelligence, for instance: the algorithms behind deep fake technology, capable of misleading entire populations and disrupting democracy, can also be used to diagnose diseases such as cancer at an early stage, leading to better health outcomes. The expansion of the internet of things (IoT) could put jobs and personal data at risk, but if rolled out responsibly, it can revolutionize peoples’ access to services regarding health, safety, finances, and daily planning. Powerful gene-editing tools could be used to engineer viruses capable of wiping out entire populations, but can equally be harnessed to save endangered species and eliminate debilitating hereditary diseases.
Many tech sectors are seeing job growth in various areas. The space economy, for example, is experiencing job growth in various areas. Today, the number of jobs in the space sector is estimated to be around 400,000, but that number is forecast to skyrocket to 1.5 million jobs in the future. Workers are needed in accounting, marketing, design, IT, manufacturing, and STEM. Launch services in the United States alone rely on advanced manufacturing, which is the source of 40% of all commercial launches, more than any other country in the world. That brings more than $2 billion per year in revenues to US manufacturing industries.
This illustrates the importance of tech innovations to help unlock new market, as well as create more diversity in the workplace. Technology can support diversity and inclusion efforts through training and awareness programs. Business can use virtual training and awareness programs to educate employees about diversity and inclusion, promoting a more inclusive workplace culture. Further, companies looking to proactively recruit employees from Generations Y and Z gain an edge on competitors. These next gen employees are diverse in culture and mentality, which brings fresh thinking and skills to the workplace. In addition to embracing new technologies and software that help businesses acquire and keep new customers, millennials and Gen Zs are often at the heart of designing and implementing new tech strategies and systems.
This question originally appeared on Quora – the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
Read the full article here
