We recently had the pleasure of attending a presentation by the respected trend analyst, Mr Dion Chang (founder of Flux Trends) on the topic of “business disruptors” and “observing trends as a business strategy”. With specific reference to the impact these trends may have on employment, skills and workforce strategy, coupled with the current focus on the #FeesMustFall campaign, it got me thinking… what is the future of jobs in South Africa? More importantly, are we appropriately upskilling towards this trend line?
This year also marks the beginning of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the trend towards automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. This includes developments in genetics, artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology and the like. These so-called “smart systems” are exciting to behold, but as industries and employers are still grappling with the question of what exactly these “game-changers” are, both current and future occupations are undergoing a fundamental transformation. While redundancy is likely in some instances, there are other job types that are growing rapidly, as well as those that may require a change in the skill sets required to do them.
So how do we go about planning for something that is not yet clear in the minds of most?
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