Will the digital revolution make you redundant?

The ‘knowledge economy’ will require employees to have a new set of skills. reports on what the future of work may be like.

For millions of South Africans, having a job and being guaranteed a salary at the end of each month is what brings them peace of mind. But have you considered that you could wake up one day and find that your skills are completely redundant?

A computer that dispenses expert radiology advice is just one example of a job that can be automated as a result of the rapid developments in artificial intelligence.

What skills will you need to keep your job in the next five to 10 years?

South Africa has not been immune to the changes taking place in the labour market, and because the country has the most diversified economy on the continent, the risks of major disruptions in the labour market are much higher.

While in the past, digital skills were only expected to be the forte of information technology personnel, things are dramatically changing, with many jobs being automated and people requiring to up-skill themselves to stay relevant in the workplace. The Future of Jobs and Skills in Africa report released at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa summit held in Durban earlier this month says that employers across Africa have identified inadequately skilled workforces as on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education; increase digital fluency and the proficiency use digital technology, communication tools, and/or networks appropriately to solve information problems in order to function in an information society across the population; provide robust and respected technical and vocational education; and create a culture of life-long learning, including the provision of adult training and up-skilling infrastructure.”

So you must be asking yourself how and which areas are digital technologies affecting or are going to affect your job in the future.

According to research conducted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the following disruptive technologies will increasingly assert themselves in the workplace in the next decade. • Predictive analytics; • Artificial intelligence; • Additive printing; • The Internet of Things; • Nanotechnology; and • Automation and robotics. The ILO said the fourth industrial revolution will result in major disruptions to labour markets.

“The world is experiencing an unprecedented acceleration in technological advancement and implementation. Indeed, profound shifts are taking place – entire sectors are accommodating these innovations, rendering several human- perfor med occupations redundant. In the near future, these positions may be eliminated entirely,” ILO said.

What will the labour market look like in the next few years, and what skills and competencies will the “knowledge economy” require?

The Oxbridge Academy has shed light into which professions will be sought-after in the next decade. The distance-learning institution compiled infor mation gathered from South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry and data from the United States Bureau of Labour Statistics to compile a list of the jobs it says will be demand in the next 10 years. The jobs are: • Registered nurses; • Motor manufacturing technicians;

• Wind turbine service technicians; • Flexible app developers; • Tourism and hospitality professionals; • Computer programmers; • Artificial intelligence and robotics specialists; and • Cloud computing specialists. Nicolaas Kruger, the chief executive officer of MMI Holdings, which includes Momentum and Metropolitan, offers a view from the employers’ perspective.

“Across the continent, substantial potential exists for creating high-value-adding, for mal-sector jobs in a number of areas. However, to realise this potential, closer dialogue between education providers and industry is needed to align and optimise the region’s demand and supply of skills,” Kruger says.

kabelo.khumalo@inl.co.za