In the past several years, many advocates, workforce members and others have grown concerned that automation will begin to upend professional employment, with groups arguing that the technology has already started to replace staff members in certain jobs. However, not all experts have been in agreement one way or another on this matter, especially as there have been solid assertions on either side of the coin. 

At the end of the day, the safest argument is that the world will simply need to wait and see how automation impacts – or does not impact – the workforce in the United States and abroad. What is clear today, though, is that many organizations are using automation to support their staff members rather than replace them, and that a major wave has not yet come to pass with respect to reducing the number of available positions in virtually any industry. 

Companies that view automation as a way of reducing their workforce might be in for negative impacts to their overall performance over time, and should remember that human capital is almost always viewed as the most important asset any organization has. Rather, leveraging automation tools to eliminate data entry, increase the efficiency of invoice processing and tackle other repetitive, mundane responsibilities within the average workplace is recommended to get the best results. 

Inside the numbers
Will Oremus, a senior technology writer at Slate, recently wrote an article regarding the potential applications of automation, as well as the argument between the technology's merits within the workforce and its potential pitfalls to employment figures. He started off by noting that this conversation has been going on for more than 100 years, spanning back to the Industrial Revolution when automation first began to enter certain sectors and replace workers. 

However, Oremus noted that proponents on the other side of the conversation believe that automation has actually led to more employment opportunities, even within industrial sectors, and that it has also been found to have increased average salaries in certain areas of the economy. The author cited the findings of a survey conducted by Elon University and Pew Research which sought to uncover sentiments regarding the rise of machines in the workplace, stating that the respondents were almost split perfectly in half with respect to whether automation was good or bad for employment prospects. 

In his response to that survey's findings, Oremus asserted that the split among analysts and economists when it comes to this question is strange to say the least, and that much of the hard evidence generated since the Industrial Revolution has indicated that automation will actually fuel new job opportunities, driving financial wellness on a broad scale. 

The current era
Sometimes, predictions of this sort are a bit extraneous and simply impossible to accurately reach. What is known currently, though, is that automation has been used to effectively reduce inefficiencies and inaccuracies by lowering the amount of strain placed on today's workforce. Having some foresight and forward-thinking capacity is certainly a critical aspect of running a business, but decision-makers should not get bogged down in these types of concerns quite yet. 

Rather, working to find the ways to create the most symbiotic possible relationship between automation tools and workforce members will likely be the best path forward, especially right now when these technologies and general market situations are shifting so dramatically. 

Organizations that leverage e-invoicing, data capture and other automation tools will likely see morale and engagement rise among their employees, all the while boosting the accuracy and efficiency of reporting throughout various departments.