Computers in the Workforce

Technology is transforming the workplace, creating both opportunities and challenges.

Automation and Employment

Key Point

Workforce impact	Examples
Jobs at risk from automation	Manufacturing, data entry, customer service chatbots, transportation, retail checkouts/warehouses
New jobs created	AI/ML specialists, data scientists, robotics engineers, cybersecurity experts, UX designers

Worked Example

Worked Example: Analysing Automation Impact

Scenario: A supermarket introduces self-checkout machines

Benefits:
• Reduced waiting times for customers
• Lower operational costs
• Consistent service 24/7
• Staff can focus on customer service

Drawbacks:
• Cashiers may lose their jobs
• Some customers prefer human interaction
• Technical issues require staff anyway
• Theft may increase

Ethical Consideration:
Does the company have responsibility to:
• Retrain displaced workers?
• Provide redundancy support?
• Consider community impact?

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Question

Automation & Job Loss

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Answer

Computers and robots replace people in repetitive, manual or dangerous work because they need no wages or breaks and can run 24/7, causing unemployment. New jobs appear in designing and maintaining the systems, so workers must retrain.

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Browse all 2 flashcards on Computers in the Workforce

Automation & Job Loss
Computers and robots replace people in repetitive, manual or dangerous work because they need no wages or breaks and can run 24/7, causing unemployment. New jobs appear in designing and maintaining the systems, so workers must retrain.
Computers in the Workforce
Digital technology changes how and where people work: staff can work remotely and are freed from dangerous or menial tasks, and output rises, but skills can be lost, employers can track staff closely and new technical skills are demanded.

Exam questions on Computers in the Workforce

1 OCR past paper question and 1 practice question (18 marks) with mark schemes

Question 1H446/01 · June 20179 marks
'Developments in Artificial Intelligence mean that in twenty years' time most people will be unemployed.' Discuss whether or not you agree with this statement.
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Levels of response (9 marks) Agree: AI automating jobs (manufacturing, customer service, driving). Historical precedent of technology replacing workers. Disagree: New jobs created (AI development, maintenance). Jobs requiring creativity, empathy, complex decision-making harder to automate. Universal Basic Income as solution. Historical predictions of unemployment not realized.
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Question 2Practice question · H446/01 style9 marks
A supermarket plans to replace all of its checkout staff with self-service tills and to use robots that scan shelves and reorder stock automatically. Discuss the moral, social and ethical issues that this raises for the supermarket, its staff and its customers. You should consider computers in the workforce, automated decision making, and the effect on different groups of people.
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Levels of response question (9 marks) AO1 (knowledge): Computers in the workforce replace routine jobs but create roles in maintenance, software and data. Automated decision making uses rules or models to act without a person. Systems may be biased, make errors, or be opaque. AO2 (application): Checkout staff lose jobs or must retrain; some customers (older, disabled, those paying cash) find self-service harder; the robots' reorder decisions could be wrong (stock-outs, waste) with no human check; the supermarket cuts costs and may extend opening hours; fewer staff on the floor affects security and theft. AO3 (evaluation): Weigh lower prices and efficiency against unemployment and exclusion; consider whether the supermarket has a duty to retrain staff or keep staffed tills; consider accountability when an automated decision is wrong; reach a justified conclusion about whether the plan is acceptable and under what conditions. Level 3 (7-9 marks): Thorough knowledge, applied to the scenario, with a balanced discussion and a justified conclusion. Level 2 (4-6 marks): Reasonable knowledge, some application, discussion mostly one-sided or conclusion weak. Level 1 (1-3 marks): Basic points, little application to the supermarket, no real evaluation. 0 marks: No creditworthy material.
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Automation and Employment

Exam questions on Computers in the Workforce

Past paper questions