Automation and Robotics: Rethinking Engineering and Construction Jobs
What talent shortage? Tomorrow’s built environment could go “robotic” not only to gain efficiencies but also to solve the current and looming labor shortages in engineering and construction.
Approximately 50% of the current positions in the construction sector could be automated, and that’s a good thing. With disruptive changes to business models expected to have a profound impact on the employment landscape over the coming years, the push toward using more automation and assistive technologies (e.g., exoskeletons) could quite possibly be the one light at the end of every engineering and construction (E&C) firm’s tunnel right now.
More than ready to start working smarter, better and faster, E&C companies aren’t alone. Across many business segments—from warehousing to retail to distribution—we’re seeing an uptick in the amount of automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and other advanced technologies being used to augment existing workforces. And while the notion of a machine completely replacing human labor might seem far-fetched for many, there is already a strong movement toward humans and machines working together in the built environment.
