automated have...and they have been for the past 30+ years. The blue-collared guys left are pretty much there for tasks to cost-prohibitive or custom to automate, or they are maintenance on the automated machines.
In places like the fast food and restaurant industry, all they are waiting for is the time where it's cheaper to maintain a mechanical process vs. hiring cooks and waiters. And we are moving in that direction. There really aren't many blue-collared jobs to replace left.
The White Collared worker who does mundane tasks and form fillings that complex AI can figure out? That's where the job-security danger lies.
The traditional blue-collar guy needs to hone his craft to the point machines can't touch what he he does.
And the traditional white-collar guy needs to be creative and visionary enough to be one step ahead of predictive AI.
At least that's how I see it.