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Writer's pictureChris Worley

Leaders Look to Capture Emerging Autonomous Vehicle Industry Opportunity


Group photo courtesy of Kouri Marshall, Chamber of Progress.


On a recent trip to Phoenix, Arizona, I met with legislators throughout the country who are looking to expand autonomous vehicles (AVs) to their regions and understand what this means for their communities.


The trip included an opportunity to ride in self-driving vehicles, a tour of an autonomous vehicle facility, and a meeting with local leaders instrumental in autonomous vehicle deployment. Along with Marisa Walker from the Arizona Commerce Authority, I presented findings from our recent report, “Opportunity AV: How Many and What Types of Jobs Will Be Created by Autonomous Vehicles?” and participated in a panel discussion focused on how autonomous vehicle technology can expand to states around the country. 


A key finding of our study was that autonomous vehicle jobs were poised to exceed 110k in the U.S. by 2040 and that 82 percent of AV workers make more than the US median wage. Our discussion highlighted the economic and workforce benefits of the Arizona model, where industry, transportation, state commerce, higher education, and workforce development partners have set up a consortium that has allowed the AV industry to flourish. A phrase that caught my attention was “testing leads to investing,” meaning that the payoff from state and local policies that encouraged testing of this new technology has resulted in increased investment activity for AV companies, both in terms of research spending and site selection in the region.



Another discussion topic was the ongoing concern about potential job losses, such as those affecting taxi, for-hire, or delivery vehicle drivers. Automation will eliminate some of these driver roles, however, a driverless future will not be jobless. The deployment of AVs will still require labor for many other roles, including new jobs for operation, safety, ongoing maintenance, production, and assembly workers. The gradual adoption of AVs should allow leaders and the workforce to plan for and update their skills for the future. Examples in Phoenix of credential and associate degree programs designed to address this need show promising results. Several AV companies shared that the students graduating from these programs worked in jobs that earned family-sustaining wages, and the demand was so high for these workers that students were “being recruited in the first weeks into beginning their program.”


A personal highlight for me was getting to experience the AV technology firsthand. Over my two-day trip, I was shuttled around Phoenix by the autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo. The experience was both novel and almost instantly familiar. At the airport, I hailed a taxi from the app, and when it pulled up I took out my phone to record videos and photos of my first trip. I could tell who at the airport was experiencing these driverless cars for the first time – those folks were gawking like me – from the Phoenix locals who were so used to the technology that it was just like any other airport pickup. As my trip continued, I saw how prevalent, and normal the fleet of AVs felt, seamlessly integrated with the other Phoenix traffic. By my third trip, I was making phone calls and working while the car drove itself.


Chris Worley, Director at Fourth Economy.


It was a joy to get to see how our work could help state leaders understand the opportunities associated with this technology and talk directly to leaders who were looking to bring the benefits of this industry to their region. 


 

This trip was a great opportunity for Fourth Economy to showcase our growing portfolio of Emerging Industry work. If you would like to talk more about how to position your region to take advantage of emerging industries, please get in touch.

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