--- title: "Shift in employment due to technology" subject: "Technology, Environment and Society" chapter: 1 key: "semester_7/technology_environment_and_society:tech-shift-employment" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/tech-shift-employment site: BCT Engineering --- # Shift in employment due to technology Technology, Environment and Society · Chapter 1: Technology - Asked in: 2078 Bhadra; 2074 Asoj, 8 marks; 2070 Asar, 8 marks (asked 3 times) - Video: [How AI is changing the job market - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_kF_SDB0-c) — BBC World Service - Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14 - Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/tech-shift-employment - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/chapter-1 ## Question How does technological advancement shift employment? Explain with suitable examples. ## Short answer Technological advancement replaces manual and routine jobs with machines and automation, shifting workers from agriculture to industry to services, while creating new jobs like software developers and technicians, requiring reskilling and lifelong learning. ## Answer Technological advancement changes the **type, number and location of jobs**. Some jobs disappear because machines do them faster and cheaper, while new jobs appear that need new skills. This movement of workers from old jobs to new jobs is called a **shift in employment**. #### How the shift happens 1. **Mechanization replaces manual labour:** Tractors, threshers and rice-planting machines reduce the need for farm labour. Excavators and road rollers replace hundreds of labourers on road projects. 2. **Shift between sectors:** Historically, workers moved from **agriculture (primary)** to **industry (secondary)** after the Industrial Revolution, and then to **services and information (tertiary)** in the information age. 3. **Automation and computers:** ATMs reduce bank tellers, online ticketing reduces counter clerks, robots replace assembly line workers. 4. **New jobs are created:** Software developers, data analysts, network engineers, mobile repair technicians, digital marketers, solar technicians and delivery riders did not exist a few decades ago. 5. **Change in skill demand:** Demand falls for unskilled and routine work and rises for skilled, technical and creative work. Lifelong learning becomes necessary. 6. **Change in work location and form:** The internet allows remote work, freelancing (Upwork, Fiverr) and IT outsourcing; platforms like Pathao and Foodmandu create gig jobs. #### Examples | Old technology / job | New technology | New job created | |---|---|---| | Typist, telegraph operator | Computer, email | Computer operator, IT support | | Bullock-cart driver | Truck, bus | Driver, mechanic | | Bank teller | ATM, mobile banking | Fintech developer | | Postman (letters) | Mobile phone, internet | Telecom technician, courier | | Manual threshing | Thresher, harvester | Machine operator, repairer | | Film photo studio | Digital camera | Graphic designer, video editor | #### Nepalese context - Agriculture's share of employment is falling as youths move to cities, foreign employment and service work. - Nepal's IT export and outsourcing sector is growing and employs many young engineers. - Traditional crafts (pottery, hand weaving, blacksmithing) are declining because of factory goods. #### Effects - **Positive:** higher productivity, safer and less tiring work, higher wages for skilled workers, new industries. - **Negative:** temporary unemployment for unskilled workers, income inequality, migration, loss of traditional skills. To manage the shift, governments must invest in **technical education, skill training (CTEVT), re-skilling** and social protection, and in poor countries like Nepal use **labour-based technology** where labour is cheap and plentiful. ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. What is the historical order of movement of workers between sectors? A. Services to industry to agriculture B. Industry to agriculture to services C. Agriculture to industry to services/information D. Agriculture to services to industry Answer: C. Workers moved from primary agriculture to secondary industry after the Industrial Revolution, then to tertiary services and information. (Key point: Sector shift) 2. How does technological advancement change the demand for skills? A. Demand for unskilled routine work rises B. Demand falls for unskilled and routine work and rises for skilled, technical and creative work C. Demand for all skills falls D. Skills no longer matter Answer: B. Machines take over routine work, so lifelong learning and skilled work become necessary. (Key point: Skill demand) 3. Which pair correctly matches an old technology with a new job it created? A. Film photo studio to graphic designer/video editor via digital camera B. Bank teller to postman via ATM C. Bullock-cart driver to typist via truck D. Typist to telegraph operator via computer Answer: A. Digital cameras created jobs like graphic designer and video editor; the other pairings do not match the answer's table. (Key point: New jobs created) 4. Which approach does the answer recommend for a poor country like Nepal? A. Ban machines to protect jobs B. Use only capital-intensive technology C. Ignore unskilled workers D. Invest in technical education and re-skilling and use labour-based technology where labour is plentiful Answer: D. Governments should invest in technical education, skill training (CTEVT), re-skilling and social protection, and use labour-based technology. (Key point: Managing the shift) ## Related in Technology, Environment and Society - [Employment shifts, old social problems and culture](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aemployment-shift-culture-values) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 1 ## Related in other subjects - [Report on advancement in science and technology](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Areport-advancement-science-technology-nepal) — Communication English, chapter 9 - [Proposal for communication technology centre](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Aproposal-communication-technology-centre) — Communication English, chapter 6 - [Damp proofing and defects due to moisture](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fbuilding_technology%3Adamp-proofing-defects) — Building Technology, chapter 1