4 Ways Drones Prove that Technology is a Job Creator

There’s a huge elephant in the interview room of today’s job market: the fear that your job might be automated very soon. But, for all the jobs that automation stands to kill, technology is also creating new, skilled jobs for humans.

Moving forward into Industry 4.0, our task will be to identify the things that humans still do better than machines, and create jobs around them.

Just over a hundred years ago, aircraft pilots didn’t exist. It wasn’t until the Wright Brothers invented the first successful airplane that pilots, airplane mechanics, and aeronautical engineers became a career opportunity for humans that previously had no experience in the field.

Now, here are 4 other examples of how technology- specifically drone technology- is a job creator:

1. New Sales and Retail Opportunities

Against forecasts that the U.S. drone market should experience a slowdown in 2016, sales have more than doubled. A report by the market research company NPD Group shows sales of drones were up by 117% year-over-year with the expensive ($300+) premium drones seeing the highest rates of sale.

There will be a whole new wave of jobs that will need to be filled: other than just being a job creator of sales and retail jobs, bookkeeping, accounting and customer support will be the first opportunities to arise.

2. Design

As part of the Engineering Heroes Drone Camp, 30 Qatari high-school students spent a 5-day enrichment program around drone science and engineering. Experts from Texas A&M University at Qatar led the participants through a series of exercises that mimic real-world situations where drones can be useful.

This initiative shows the potential of the budding drone micro-economy. Many job opportunities will be for those with relevant academic background and skills: drones design, electronics engineering, software development and data processing.

3. Repair

According to the FAA, more than 770,000 drones have been registered since the agency opened its registration system fifteen months ago. In a report, Tractica forecasts that, by 2025, shipment of commercial drones would exceed 2.6 million a year and global commercial UAV services revenue $8.7 billion USD (from $170 million USD in 2015).

That’s millions of drones which will need repair, maintenance, and troubleshooting. What’s more, millions of amateur operators will need assistance. Drone tutors anyone?

4. Education

The existing manufacturer-authorized repair shops are already overwhelmed by the high volumes of repair requests from drone owners. The demand alone is a job creator.

Advanced drone technologies will require a profound learning in the functioning, optimal settings, and maintenance of drones. In response, there are already training centers which offer to those wishing to pursue this career. For example, Minnesota College is now offering a course in drone repair.