The fifth industrial revolution (5IR) is set to bring with it a massive disruption in the way we all work. Automation, machine learning, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and data intelligence will all be wrapped up in a way that will take away mundane tasks in a bid to have a positive impact on people and the environment.
Jobs such as data capturers, many call centre positions, assembly line jobs, translation, entry-level graphic design and even corporate photography will likely be lost during this shift.
Unions are, rightfully, worried because it is possible that their members will be among the most affected, as assembly lines will become more automated, requiring less human input.
As far back as 2019, a Higher Education Colloquium detailed these fears, and that was only on the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
Much work lies ahead of us if we are to completely benefit from 5IR.
Among the concerns raised by union representatives at the meeting was that millions of South Africans were already ill-equipped to find jobs under previous revolutions, such as mass manufacturing. They noted that unemployment may increase, government educational intuitions lack the required infrastructure to prepare students for the current working environment, and government would have to take the lead in upskilling for the pending work environment.
One of the comments emanating from the colloquium was a statement from Phakedi Moleko, South African Federation of Trade Unions deputy secretary general: “People have been fed the narrative that the lost jobs would be replaced somewhere but we do not see that happening.”
Dr Colin Thakur, a professor in ICT at the Durban University of Technology, has pointed out that the advent of the PC in the 1980s took away about 3.5 million jobs in America, but created 19 million new jobs across the economy.
South African statistics aren’t available when it comes to measuring job losses or gains against advances in technology.
5IR will be an even more dramatic shift in the world of work.
Research from Brookings shows that existing generative AI technology means more than 30% of all workers could see at least half their tasks disrupted by GenAI.
Given that we weren’t anywhere near prepared for 4IR, we need to move at pace now to ensure the core theme of 5IR – technology that enhances people’s ability to do their tasks – becomes a reality. 5IR is not meant to replace jobs; it should enhance human capabilities and enable greater collaboration between humans and machines.
It’s supposed to improve lives through making companies more productive and creating opportunities for more skills sets – it shouldn’t make people’s existence worse. It’s not just a continuation of 4IR, but builds on it so that environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles can be met. The use of enhanced technology should result in ethical practices, sustainability and improving human skills.
ESG is more important now than ever. Investors want to have shares in sustainable companies. The new generation of workers want to be associated with a business that places sustainability at the core of everything it does.
5IR brings with it the ability for firms to be more sustainable by removing the environmental impact of, for example, heavy manufacturing, because it uses smarter ways of getting things done.
Improved productivity, by its very nature, has the potential to indirectly boost economic growth from the current 0.4%. Better sustainability can bring in much-needed foreign investment. Vast numbers of unemployed youth, with about half of all young people being without a job, can be trained to benefit from new skills, such as human creativity, problem-solving and strategic thinking.
They can also be taught to be employed in areas such as AI experts, robotics engineers, data analysts and sustainability specialists.
However, much work lies ahead of us if we are to completely benefit from 5IR.
It’s important that we recognise these issues and ensure that, as educational institutions and industry bodies, we help enable current and potential workers across all industries to provide the necessary skills and contributions to companies so they can be gainfully employed.
ICT education will be invaluable because the current shifts in industry are based on exactly that – technology.