Robot at new work place
By Stefano Trifirò
John Nasbitt the scholar of international fame invented the term of globalisation 30 years ago. His book “Mind Set” suggests the mental attitude necessary to foresee the world to come and teaches us that the direction the world is going and its will are rooted in the past and the present.
These observations may apply to the evolution and the automation of labour market. Indeed, the debate on automation and economic progress are not new issues in microeconomics.
Recently, it was said for example, that robots and automation in general should pay taxes equal to the amount of money paid to workers they replace.
It is well known that the same observation were made at time of the first and second industrial revolution and also during the economic boom after the second world war, all characterised by the phasing out of forms of labour, but compensated by the emergence of other requests of labour also more qualified and qualifying.
It is true that the labour market in Italy is characterised by millions of jobs not provided for owing to the absence of competent workers no longer requested. The problem is not the progressive automation of labour, but the poor flexibility the labour market adapts to the new necessities, and also the fiscal and contribution policies.
Rather than adopting punitive fiscal policies like additional taxes on companies which buy robots , it would be better to adopt taxation policy based on the redistribution. In other words to incentivize companies that invest in automation to offer new employment and growth prospects.
