Closing In On The Future

The digital economy offers hope for the youth but gender issues must still be addressed

- Greg Penfold

The process of digitilisation and automation is not the future of work – it’s the present, affecting every sphere of employment and productivity. This has important implications for South Africa in terms of youth employment, productivity and gender equality in the workplace.

Even if technology stays at present levels, it is already possible to automate half of the jobs that people do—meaning that very large numbers of people who are presently employed will be looking for new jobs within the next decade. So says Laurie Wright, Senior Lecturer at the Warsash School of Maritime Science and Engineering, Solent University: “People are calling it the fourth industrial revolution or “industry 4.0”. The first industrial revolution used steam power to mechanise production. The second used electric power to mass-produce products while the third introduced computers to automate production. The fourth revolution is happening now, disruptive technologies including the internet of things, virtual reality, robotics, and artificial intelligence are changing the way we interact, work, and live. Highly automated, intelligent systems promise to transform people’s lives and even question the very role of humans.”

The implication is clear—young people need to ensure that their skills match the needs of companies that are undoing digital transformation themselves. But how can young people ensure they have the right skills when the pace of change is so fast and furious?

Matching youth skills to company needs

According to the results of the Siyakha Youth Assets study, one promising solution is employment programmes that offer matching —when training is based on employer requirements and programmes offers employers and young work-seekers an interface to facilitate recruitment.