The Future of Work Reading Answers

The Academic passage, ‘The Future of Work’, is a reading passage that consists of 13 questions.

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The question types found in this passage are:

• IELTS Multiple Choice Question (Q. 27-30)
• IELTS Summary Completion (Q. 31-34)
• IELTS Matching Features (Q. 35-40)

Reading Passage

According to a leading business consultancy, 3-14% of the global workforce will need to switch to a different occupation within the next 10-15 years, and all workers will need to adapt as their occupations evolve alongside increasingly capable machines. Automation – or ‘embodied artificial intelligence’ (Al) – is one aspect of the disruptive effects of technology on the labour market. ‘Disembodied Al’ , like the algorithms running in our smartphones, is another.

Dr Stella Pachidi from Cambridge Judge Business School believes that some of the most fundamental changes are happening as a result of the ‘algorithmication’ of jobs that are dependent on data rather than on production – the so-called knowledge economy. Algorithms are capable of learning from data to undertake tasks that previously needed human judgement, such as reading legal contracts, analysing medical scans and gathering market intelligence.

‘In many cases, they can outperform humans, says Pachidi. ‘Organisations are attracted to using algorithms because they want to make choices based on what they consider is “perfect information”, as well as to reduce costs and enhance productivity.

‘But these enhancements are not without consequences, says Pachidi. ‘If routine cognitive tasks are taken over by Al, how do professions develop their future experts? she asks. ‘One way of learning about a job is “legitimate peripheral participation” – a novice stands next to experts and learns by observation. If this isn’t happening, then you need to find new ways to learn’.

Pachidi and colleagues even observed people developing strategies to make the algorithm work to their own advantage. ‘We are seeing cases where workers feed the algorithm with false data to reach their targets, she reports.

It’s scenarios like these that many researchers are working to avoid. Their objective is to make Al technologies more trustworthy and transparent, so that organisations and individuals understand how Al decisions are made. In the meantime, says Pachidi, ‘We need to make sure we fully understand the dilemmas that this new world raises regarding expertise, occupational boundaries and control!

Economist Professor Hamish Low believes that the future of work will involve major transitions across the whole life course for everyone: ‘The traditional trajectory of full-time education followed by full-time work followed by a pensioned retirement is a thing of the past. says Low. Instead, he envisages a multistage employment life: one where retraining happens across the life course, and where multiple jobs and no job happen by choice at different stages.

On the subject of job losses, Low believes the predictions are founded on a fallacy: ‘It assumes that the number of jobs is fixed. If in 30 years, half of 100 jobs are being carried out by robots, that doesn’t mean we are left with just 50 jobs for humans. The number of jobs will increase: we would expect there to be 150 jobs.

Dr Ewan McGaughey, at Cambridge’s Centre for Business Research and King’s College London, agrees that ‘apocalyptic’ views about the future of work are misguided. ‘It’s the laws that restrict the supply of capital to the job market, not the advent of new technologies that causes unemployment.

His recently published research answers the question of whether automation, Al and robotics will mean a ‘jobless future’ by looking at the causes of unemployment. ‘History is clear that change can mean redundancies. But social policies can tackle this through retraining and redeployment.

He adds: ‘If there is going to be change to jobs as a result of Al and robotics then I’d like to see governments seizing the opportunity to improve policy to enforce good job security. We can “reprogramme” the law to prepare for a fairer future of work and leisure!” McGaughey’s findings are a call to arms to leaders of organisations, governments and banks to pre-empt the coming changes with bold new policies that guarantee full employment, fair incomes and a thriving economic democracy.

‘The promises of these new technologies are astounding. They deliver humankind the capacity to live in a way that nobody could have once imagined, he adds. ‘Just as the industrial revolution brought people past subsistence agriculture, and the corporate revolution enabled mass production, a third revolution has been pronounced. But it will not only be one of technology. The next revolution will be social.

27 The first paragraph tells us about

A the kinds of jobs that will be most affected by the growth of Al.

B the extent to which Al will alter the nature of the work that people do.

C the proportion of the world’s labour force who will have jobs in Al in the future.

D the difference between ways that embodied and disembodied Al with impact on workers.

28 According to the second paragraph, what is Stella Pachidi’s view of the ‘knowledge economy’?

A It is having an influence on the number of jobs available.

B It is changing people’s attitudes towards their occupations.

C It is the main reason why the production sector is declining.

D It is a key factor driving current developments in the workplace.

29 What did Pachidi observe at the telecommunications company?

A staff disagreeing with the recommendations of Al

B staff feeling resentful about the intrusion of Al in their work

C staff making sure that Al produces the results that they want

D staff allowing Al to carry out tasks they ought to do themselves

30 In his recently published research, Ewan McGaughey

A challenges the idea that redundancy is a negative thing.

B shows the profound effect of mass unemployment on society.

C highlights some differences between past and future job losses.

D illustrates how changes in the job market can be successfully handled.

The ‘algorithmication’ of jobs

Stella Pachidi of Cambridge Judge Business School has been focusing on the ‘algorithmication’ of jobs which rely not on production but on 31……………

While monitoring a telecommunications company, Pachidi observed a growing 32………….

on the recommendations made by Al, as workers begin to learn through the ‘algorithm’s eyes’.

Meanwhile, staff are deterred from experimenting and using their own 33………………, and are

therefore prevented from achieving innovation.

To avoid the kind of situations which Pachidi observed, researchers are trying to make Al’s

decision-making process easier to comprehend, and to increase users’ 34………………… with

regard to the technology.

A pressure B satisfaction C intuition

D promotion E reliance F confidence

G information

NB You may use any letter more than once.

35 Greater levels of automation will not result in lower employment.

36 There are several reasons why Al is appealing to businesses.

37 Al’s potential to transform people’s lives has parallels with major cultural shifts which

occurred in previous eras.

38 It is important to be aware of the range of problems that Al causes.

39 People are going to follow a less conventional career path than in the past.

40 Authorities should take measures to ensure that there will be adequately paid work for

everyone.

List of people

A Stella Pachidi

B Hamish Low

C Ewan McGaughey

The Future of Work Reading Answers

27 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple-Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph 1, line 1-line 4

Answer explanation: The selected lines say that “According to a leading business consultancy, 3-14% of the global workforce will need to switch to a different occupation within the next 10-15 years, and all workers will need to adapt as their occupations evolve alongside increasingly capable machines. Automation – or ‘embodied artificial intelligence’ (Al) – is one aspect of the disruptive effects of technology on the labour market.”. This tells us about the extent (3-14% of the global workforce) to which AI will change the nature of the work that people do. Hence, the answer is B.

28 Answer: D

Question type: Multiple-Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph 2, line 1-line 3

Answer explanation: In the quoted lines of Paragraph 2, it is said that “Dr Stella Pachidi from Cambridge Judge Business School believes that some of the most fundamental changes are happening as a result of the ‘algorithmication’ of jobs that are dependent on data rather than on production – the so-called knowledge economy.” This points to the fact that the current developments (some of the most fundamental changes) in the workforce are due to the knowledge economy, which is the ‘algorithmication’ of jobs that are dependent on data rather than on production. Hence, the answer is D.

29 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple-Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph 7, line 1-line 2

Answer explanation: In the quoted lines of Paragraph 7, it is said that “Pachidi and colleagues even observed people developing strategies to make the algorithm work to their own advantage.” This points to the fact that Pachidi observed that at the telecommunications company, the staff have developed ways to make sure that Al produces the results (algorithm) that they want (to their own advantage). Hence, the answer is C.

30 Answer: D

Question type: Multiple-Choice Questions

Answer location: Paragraph 13, line 1 -line 3

Answer explanation: In the quoted lines of Paragraph 13 it is stated that “He adds: ‘If there is going to be change to jobs as a result of Al and robotics then I’d like to see governments seizing the opportunity to improve policy to enforce good job security. We can “reprogramme” the law to prepare for a fairer future of work and leisure!”” This proves the fact that Ewan McGaugh’s research illustrates how changes in the job market can be successfully handled by improving government policy. Hence, the answer is D.

31 Answer: G

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 2, line 1 – line 3

Answer explanation: In the quoted lines of Paragraph 2, it is said that “Dr Stella Pachidi from Cambridge Judge Business School believes that some of the most fundamental changes are happening as a result of the ‘algorithmication’ of jobs that are dependent on data rather than on production – the so-called knowledge economy.” This indicates that Pachidi has been focusing on the ‘algorithmication’ of jobs which rely not on production but on data (information). Hence, the answer is G (information).

32 Answer: E

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 7, line 3 – line 5

Answer explanation: The mentioned line of Paragraph 7 says that “In cases like this, Pachidi believes, a short-sighted view begins to creep into working practices whereby workers learn through the ‘algorithm’s eyes’ and become dependent on its instructions. ” As it is clear that while monitoring a telecommunications company (which is discussed in Paragraph 6), Pachidi observed a growing dependence (or reliance) on the recommendations (instructions) made by Al (algorithm) as workers began to learn through the ‘algorithm’s eyes’, the answer is E (reliance).

33 Answer: C

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 6, line 4-line 5

Answer explanation: The given lines of Paragraph 6 say that “Alternative explorations – where experimentation and human instinct lead to progress and new ideas – are effectively discouraged.”. It is suggested that due to the dependence of AI, staff are deterred (discouraged) from experimenting and using their own intuition (human instinct) and are therefore prevented from achieving innovation. Hence, the answer is C (intuition).

34 Answer: F

Question type: Summary Completion

Answer location: Paragraph 8, line 1-line 3

Answer explanation: The quoted lines of Paragraph 8 claim that “It’s scenarios like these that many researchers are working to avoid. Their objective is to make Al technologies more trustworthy and transparent, so that organisations and individuals understand how Al decisions are made.” It is clear that researchers are trying to make Al’s decision-making process easier to comprehend (transparent), and to increase users’ confidence with regard to the technology. Hence, the answer is F (confidence).

35 Answer: B

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph 10

Answer explanation: Paragraph 10 notes that “On the subject of job losses, Low believes the predictions are founded on a fallacy: ‘It assumes that the number of jobs is fixed. If in 30 years, half of 100 jobs are being carried out by robots, that doesn’t mean we are left with just 50 jobs for humans. The number of jobs will increase: we would expect there to be 150 jobs.” From this reference, it is clear that according to Hamish Low, with a greater level of automation, the number of jobs will increase to 150 instead of the current 100 and so it will not lead to lower employment. Hence, the answer is B (Hamish Low).

36 Answer: A

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph 3

Answer explanation: Paragraph 3 says that “‘In many cases, they can outperform humans, says Pachidi. ‘Organisations are attracted to using algorithms because they want to make choices based on what they consider is “perfect information”, as well as to reduce costs and enhance productivity.” According to the lines, Pachidi discusses several reasons why Al is appealing to businesses, which are to outperform humans, choices made according to AI-based information increase productivity, etc. Hence, the answer is A (Stella Pachidi).

37 Answer: C

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph 12

Answer explanation: Paragraph 12 says that “His recently published research answers the question of whether automation, Al and robotics will mean a ‘jobless future’ by looking at the causes of unemployment. ‘History is clear that change can mean redundancies. But social policies can tackle this through retraining and redeployment.” From this reference, we can conclude that Ewan McGaughey says that in the past, changes have caused redundancies like unemployment, and Al has the potential to transform people’s lives (by causing unemployment). Hence, the answer is C (Ewan McGaughey).

38 Answer: A

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph 8, line 3 – line 4

Answer explanation: The following lines from Paragraph 8 say that “‘We need to make sure we fully understand the dilemmas that this new world raises regarding expertise, occupational boundaries and control!” In light of the fact that Pachidi suggests that we should be aware of the range of problems (dilemmas) that Al causes regarding expertise, occupational boundaries and control, the answer is A (Stella Pachidi).

39 Answer: B

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph 9, line 2 – line 4

Answer explanation: The mentioned line of Paragraph 9 says that “The traditional trajectory of full-time education followed by full-time work followed by a pensioned retirement is a thing of the past.” says Low. Instead, he envisages a multistage employment life…” Based on this reference, we can conclude that Low states that people are going to follow a less conventional career path (multistage) than in the past. Hence, the answer is B (Hamish Low).

40 Answer: C

Question type: Matching Features

Answer location: Paragraph 13, line 3 – line 5

Answer explanation: The mentioned line of Paragraph 13 says that “McGaughey’s findings

are a call to arms to leaders of organisations, governments and banks to pre-empt the coming changes with bold new policies that guarantee full employment, fair incomes and a thriving economic democracy.” Based on this reference, we can conclude that Ewan McGaughey is of the opinion that organisations, governments and banks should take measures to ensure that there will be adequately paid work for everyone. Hence, the answer is C (Ewan McGaughey).