Thursday, March 19, 2009

Survey Results: Outsourcing Survey

People might mock Metro Tech and the idea of "just" being a hair stylist, but it's a job that won't go to China.

by ML 

We posed the question, "What job would have the least chance of being outsourced or tech-sourced?"  Not surprisingly, the number one choice was hair-stylist.  Go figure.  It's a pretty personal job.  But we want to explore it a little deeper.  

What is it about hairstyling that makes it free of outsourcing and tech-sourcing?  First, it's a job where the person is doing an art.  Technology can enhance art and change art, but it can never create art.  It's part of what makes us human.  Second, hairstylists work as counselors. They listen.  They talk.  They give advice.  Many jobs that "could" have been tech-sourced won't, because people need the human interaction.  A machine could pour drinks, but people want a human bartender.  A psychologist could sit there and offer advice from a call center in India.  But we want the person to be here in person.  

The second highest on the list was construction.  It's a job that is being tech-sourced, but we'll always need physical people to actually operate the machines.  Unless you're Bob the Builder, you have a chance of keeping your job.  Again, what construction workers locally know is how to be creative, how to know the land, how to interact with one another.  

A few of us were surprised that only two people chose chef.  It is doubtful that machines will ever perfect the art of cooking.  We've had machine-created food for years and we're now seeing why a human in the kitchen is always better.  In fact, many of us will take a home-made dish over machine-made any day.  

So, are there overall lessons from this survey?  It confirms what we already know.  The world is changing.  Outsourcing and tech-sourcing are a reality.  However, creativity and the ability to handle relationships will be our greatest assets.  




Here were the results:

construction
  4 (22%)
 
doctor
  1 (5%)
 
lawyer
  1 (5%)
 
hair-stylist
  10 (55%)
 
cashier
  0 (0%)
chef
  2 (11%)
 


Photo Credit
Flickr Creative Commons

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