Even if the majority of production DBS tasks can be automated etc. there will always be the rest (including problem diagnosis which cannot be fully automated). I bet the number of instances managed per DBA has increased in a similar, but I bet not parallel, curve to the increase in the number of overall instances. Additionally, there is more to a RDBMS then there was before so the skill set is ever expanding.

Also, due to the combination of improved usability, increased workloads and reduced training I bet that some DBAs now have a quality gatekeeper role added to their duties as they share the load with less able colleagues. (My guess is that the like ofJefff andGaill can provide some great examples here. I, for one, am looking forward to Jeff Morden's forthcoming book "Interviewees: How do they manage to get out of bed?" :hehe:)