Unlocking jobs for blue-collar workers

BLUE-collar women have historically been marginalised in the work environment, but the Fourth Industrial Revolution is here to disrupt the status quo and empower women.

This is according to a South African Board for People Practices 2018 report compiled by the University of Johannesburg and the Stellenbosch University Business School.

The report, released on Wednesday, says revolutionary technology will allow women to participate in jobs that used to exclude them due to stereotypes about a lack of strength, stamina and education level.

To unlock this potential, Dr Lize Barclay, senior lecturer in futures studies and systems thinking said the corporate world needs to present women with the proper skill-set to embrace technology and help them earn a decent living in the era of the sweeping Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Asked by the Weekend Argus whether the revolution would not get rid of blue-collar jobs, she said: “It will get rid of jobs, but not all jobs. Certain jobs (will) be automised. Even Elon Musk said maybe they should not have automated as much as they did with Tesla.

“And you start hearing it more and more that the human impact and human presence in a factory is still important, especially artisans. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is going after the white-collar jobs.”

Barclay, who is a contributor to the report, added: “Working in predominantly male-dominated jobs and industries, with the exception of the clothing and textile industry in South Africa, women in blue-collar positions often hold jobs that support entire families on a single income.”

She said although the country had seen an increase in employment of women from 1999 to 2016 – with women employed on the skilled technical level rising from 40% to 46%, the semi-skilled level rising from 39% to 42.8%, and the unskilled level rising from 29% to 40.7% – “the career prospects of female blue-collar workers and their associated pay is still at the lower-end of the market”.

Barclay said the current definition of blue-collar workers as people in manual work will change with the opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution holds.

“Although the saying goes ‘a woman’s place is in the home’, for many centuries the home was the centre of production for families.

“Food, clothing production, pottery, spinning and weaving, preservation of food, brewing of alcohol, making jewellery, and farming were tasks women proudly fulfilled around the world. The role of women as wives, producers, and providers varied from one culture to another, as it still does today.

“Where the First, Second, and Third Industrial Revolutions threatened the roles, responsibilities, and livelihoods of blue- collar workers, with women being particularly vulnerable, the Fourth Industrial Revolution appears to be threatening white- collar workers above all, while unlocking potential for blue-collar workers, and females in particular, to carve a new future for themselves.”

She encouraged blue-collar workers not to fear the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and said businesses should reconsider employment structures and embrace technology to empower women.

Barclay said demand for ethical and sustainable businesses and products opens pos- sible opportunities for women to contribute to the manufacturing sector as artisans and innovators.

“Jobs that used to exclude women due to their perceived lack of strength and stamina will be accessible for women due to wearable tech, drone assistance and support by the Internet of Things.

“This would broaden the choices of employees available to employers. Women will be able to use mixed reality, virtual reality and augmented reality to train, design, assemble, change products and processes, and communicate with a bot, supervisor and co-workers from anywhere in the world.”

Barclay said equality was a fragile concept.

“On the one hand, women deserve equal pay for equal work, but also differentiated treatment to ensure their comfort while pregnant, the food provided, and while commuting to and from their workplace.

“White-collar workers have made giant leaps in this regard to ensure a safe and comfortable working environment for women, however for many blue-collar workers the gap is even greater.”

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