Importance of Workers' Job Market Readiness
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, concerns about job displacement due to AI, robots, and machine learning have become a pressing issue. Several organisations, including the UNI Global Union, have taken a proactive stance, advocating for strategies and policies to ensure worker employability.
The UNI Global Union, an international union representing over 20 million workers across various sectors, believes that the wave of job displacement due to digital change is real and massive. However, they do not specify the industries or sectors that will be most affected. Similarly, the World Bank Development Report 2016, which predicts substantial job displacements, does not name the sectors at risk.
To address this challenge, the UNI Global Union is emphasizing the need for up-skilling, reskilling, lifelong learning, and adaptations to vocational and education training, as well as higher education, to ensure the employability of workers. These strategies aim to create a workforce that is agile, adaptable, and well-equipped to thrive in a landscape dominated by AI, robots, and machine learning.
Upskilling focuses on enhancing existing skills to improve performance in current roles or advance within a field, while reskilling involves training employees for entirely new roles to meet future demands. Both strategies are crucial for adapting to industry advancements and technological changes.
Continuous education encourages workers to engage in ongoing learning to stay relevant in a rapidly changing job market. This includes vocational training and higher education programs designed to adapt to emerging technologies.
Educational institutions are updating curricula to include skills relevant to emerging industries, such as AI, robotics, and data science. Vocational training programs are being redesigned to focus on developing practical skills that are complementary to automation and AI, ensuring workers can adapt to new job roles.
Government and private sector initiatives are also playing a significant role. Policies like President Trump’s Executive Order aim to modernize workforce development programs, focusing on preparing workers for high-skilled jobs in emerging industries. Organizations collaborate with government agencies to support skills-based training and credentialing, making it easier for individuals to gain relevant certifications.
Companies are investing in digital platforms to deliver personalized, scalable learning experiences that can adapt to the evolving needs of the workforce. Leadership commitment is crucial in fostering a culture of continuous learning by recognizing learning achievements and encouraging knowledge sharing.
However, it's important to note that the UNI Global Union does not provide specific details about the strategies they plan to implement to ensure the employability of workers. Similarly, the World Bank Development Report 2016 does not discuss any potential solutions or strategies to mitigate the predicted job displacements.
The methodology used by some studies, including those by Frey and Osbourne (2015), has been criticized. Other studies, such as those by the Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim (2016) and Deloitte Consulting (2016), approach job displacement differently, focusing on jobs as a set of tasks instead of entire jobs.
Despite these differences, there is a consensus that job displacement due to digital change is a significant issue that requires immediate attention. The UNI Global Union is calling for immediate proactive policy and strategy changes due to the scale and speed of digital change and innovation.
However, the social, economic, and political impacts of the digital-induced job displacement are not discussed by either the UNI Global Union or the studies mentioned. As the digital revolution continues to reshape the world of work, these implications will undoubtedly become a focus of future research and policy-making.
- The UNI Global Union advocates for education and self-development strategies such as upskilling, reskilling, lifelong learning, and adapting vocational and education training to ensure the workforce can thrive in a digital landscape.
- Continuous learning, including vocational training and higher education programs focusing on emerging technologies like AI, robotics, and data science, are essential for remaining relevant in a rapidly changing job market.
- Government and private sector initiatives, like President Trump’s Executive Order to modernize workforce development programs, play a significant role in preparing workers for high-skilled jobs in emerging industries. Companies are also investing in digital platforms for personalized, scalable learning experiences.
