As artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data makes inroads into blue-collar industries, employees will see their jobs changing to require core competencies that are distinctly human. Employees will need to possess social and emotional intelligence, complex reasoning and problem solving, creativity, and even forms of sensory perception. While there appears to be nostalgia for high-paying blue collar jobs, with President Trump seeking to bring jobs back to American soil by rewriting trade agreements, increasing automation will change the way employees spend their time. In addition to knowing how to program and provide machine maintenance, employees need to know how to be part of a team process, with supervision over a variety of activities, including overseeing machines that are stymied by non-standard events. Positions will require more mental engagement, flexibility, and the ability to talk through conflict.
See "Blue-collar jobs will survive the rise of artificial intelligence. But the work will change", Craig Torres, The Los Angeles Times, November 5, 2018