Thursday 27 October 2016

Rescuing #BREXIT with Robots?



“Migration causes wage pressure in low skilled jobs 'Taking back control' of immigration [so the logic goes] will reduce supply of labour and increase local wages.” - a (disputed) claim of the Brexiteers in the UK referendum.

My recent projects looking at the disruptive impact of of automation and AI in various client markets show different trends. It is automation such as: robot clothing manufacturing and autonomous farming and picking that are the long term drivers impacting these low-skill industries.

As migration curbs bite, is the solution for the UK’s innovative businesses to use large-scale automation to fill any shortage of workers. Is #Brexit actually an opportunity to lead the world in advances in automation or will the UK’s new industrial policy prioritise employment over GVA?

Whatever the outcome, one thing is for sure: any global or pan-european companies looking at cross-border R&D and innovation are going to need to quickly plan for a variety of #Brexit scenarios. The Centre for Business Innovation is holding a facilitated symposium to map out the most likely scenarios and potential responses to keep corporate innovation flowing.

A few places are still available - contact adam.swash@cfbi.com or ceo@cfbi.com for more details.