The Era of 'Manual labor billionaires' is coming (www.asiae.co.kr)

The rise of AI is reshaping the job market, giving way to a new phenomenon termed "blue-collar billionaires," especially in the United States, where manual labor jobs are increasingly valued. As AI replaces white-collar roles in document management and analysis, occupations that require hands-on skills—such as plumbing, electrical work, and construction—are seeing unprecedented wage increases. A standout case is Mai, a former corporate accountant who transitioned to plumbing, witnessing her hourly earnings triple after embracing manual work. She highlighted the intrinsic satisfaction of hands-on creation that AI cannot replicate, signaling a cultural shift towards valuing on-site expertise. This trend has significant implications for the AI/ML community, suggesting a reassessment of job security amid automation. Experts predict that as AI's influence grows, there will be a corresponding stagnation in white-collar salaries, particularly in roles susceptible to automation. The emergence of high-income blue-collar roles underscores the need for skill diversification and may drive changes in workforce dynamics globally, as seen in Japan. The potential for AI to dominate many tasks underscores the importance of retaining and investing in skilled manual jobs that require human intuition and judgment.