Automation ‘will create more jobs’

RESKILLING and upskilling South Africans who are in the labour market will be as crucial as the implementation of interventions that were announced at last week’s Jobs Summit.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced various interventions to stimulate the country’s sluggish economy and to deal with the 27% unemployment rate. Ramaphosa emphasised that rebuilding of trust in the public service and public institutions that had been paralysed by corruption was non-negotiable.

However, these implementations, while absolutely necessary, need to work hand in hand with preparing those who are about to enter the job market or are already in the job market to have the necessary skills to deal with automation and artificial intelligence and how it will impact on the traditional job sector. The World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) Future of Jobs 2018 report released last week said jobs will be lost to automation but those with skills to work in these new environments will thrive.

According to the report more than 50% of all workplace tasks will be performed by machines and algorithms as opposed to 29% currently. But this machine revolution is expected to create 133 million new jobs or 50 million more than will be lost between 2018 and 2022.

Government, the private sector, trade unions and civil society will all have to play a role to prepare South Africans to have the skills for future jobs created by the fourth industrial revolution.