5/25/18 – 5:02 A.M.

Findlay business leaders learned more about automation and its potential impact on the workforce during a Thursday forum. Jim Robey is the director of regional economic planning services for the W.E. Upjohn Institute. He spoke at the forum and said low-skill jobs in the manufacturing and service sectors will vanish rapidly in the next five to 10 years.

Robey says a labor surplus raises several concerns. He said we could face tough questions, like how will unneeded workers get by? He also said a large labor surplus might raise questions of universal basic income and how to pay for that. Robey also wondered how small businesses that can’t afford automation will compete against bigger businesses.

The Gilmore Jasion Mahler public accounting firm sponsored the event.

MORE: The Courier