The Commoditization of White Collar Work

Abstract

The next wave is already upon us, although it still has a very long way to run. White collar work is now well on the way to commoditization. The combination of an aging population, the increased codification of work through the standardization of processes, the increasing sophistication and scope and scale of IT systems and the availability of a cheap and well educated labour force from across the world means that much of the routine work that is now undertaken by well paid staffers will eventually be automated, outsourced, offshored or executed by less expensive personnel. Be warned, this is not just about the simple and routine activities undertaken by administrative personnel. As we will see later, most white collar work is potentially up for grabs, including lawyers, consultants and even surgeons. In fact, any work which does not require high level expertise has the potential to be commoditized.