Accelerated by the global pandemic, there is a growing fear of a robo-apocalypse – a dystopian world with machines enriching the 1 per cent and leaving the rest of us destitute.
As humans struggle to learn 21st-century skills, employers are increasingly turning to the mind-bending capabilities of AI software and increasingly humanlike robots to fill in the gaps in the workforce.
There is no question that new technologies are automating a range of tasks that people are tired of performing. Many people have found they no longer want to do the boring, repetitive work that makes them feel like robots. And employers are relentlessly employing technology to “free up” people from that leaden kind of work.
The truth is, robots and software don’t take away jobs. They simply automate tasks; it is ultimately a human’s decision if a job gets taken away.
That is why we need to embrace human-centric work. Your human ability to solve new problems, to continually adapt, to use creativity and to empathise with others – these are all unique skills that technology won’t replace for a very long time.
That doesn’t mean that many jobs won’t be lost. Manual work has been on the decline since the 1950s, when, in the US, for instance, more than 1 million people worked in clothing factories, almost 1.5 million in the railway system, and more than 500,000 in coal mining. Technology replaced many of these roles, improving the quality and efficiency of output, but displacing workers.
The pre-pandemic numbers weren’t very encouraging, either. A 2017 study by the McKinsey Global Institute estimated that 73 million jobs would be automated worldwide by 2030. The pandemic created some temporary labour shortages that in some cases means jobs won’t go away as quickly. But in other cases, it has dramatically accelerated automation to fill unmet demand.
Robots are now making pizzas, cleaning skyscraper windows, harvesting food and many other formerly human tasks. Robotic process automation software, which uses AI to learn quickly how a repetitive human task is performed and then repeat it automatically, is being used in white-collar settings in jobs once the sole domain of humans.
Of course, humans have worried about job-stealing technologies for centuries. At the dawn of the industrial revolution in Britain, a group of workers known as the Luddites demanded higher wages and destroyed textile machinery. The relentless march of technology will inevitably continue to erode work. But it can also create a huge amount of new work, if we make sure three important things happen.
An increasing number of skills will be applicable across all industries, such as problem-solving, adaptability, creativity and empathy
First, we need to shift the attention of startups and investors from simply automating human tasks, to empowering people to learn new skills and solve new problems more effectively. In this way, AI can not just create more jobs, it can create better ones.
As we move forward, new roles are being created every day, each of which requires a new skillset. Consider that a few short years ago, a role like social media manager didn’t even exist – and now that job is everywhere. New exponential technologies can breed exponential opportunity.
Second, each of us needs to commit to continually learning new skills. As the shelf life of information continues to decay, we need to increasingly focus on “flex” skills, which are often (and unfortunately) called soft skills. In the future, an increasing number of skills will no longer be sector-specific, but will be applicable across all industries, such as problem-solving, adaptability, creativity and empathy – what I refer to as PACE. In fact, a recent Deloitte Australia report found that almost two thirds of occupations will be based on such skills by 2030. We need to be lifelong learners to continually stay ahead of robots and AI.
Finally, employers must do their part. They need to develop and buy those technologies that help to empower humans. They need to commit to training and job design that ensure that workers are continually employed. Laying off workers whose skills are no longer required is an “old rule” of work. As the rate of technological change only increases, no specific job title will remain the same for long. That is why organisations should empower their employees not only to constantly learn but to learn how to learn, baking skills development into the day-to-day work of every employee.
If we fail to do this, we’ll continue to have the dramatic mismatches that characterise our work markets today – plenty of jobs available, but fewer people trained to do them.
But if we commit to co-creating these “next” rules of work together, the workplace of tomorrow will be far more humane, and we’ll ensure that no human is left behind.
RESULT
Valencia 3
Kevin Gameiro 21', 51'
Ferran Torres 67'
Atlanta 4
Josip Llicic 3' (P), 43' (P), 71', 82'
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The five pillars of Islam
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Company%20profile
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Company%20profile%20
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More on animal trafficking
The five pillars of Islam
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m, Winner SS Lamea, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m, Winner AF Makerah, Sean Kirrane, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m, Winner Maaly Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,600m, Winner AF Momtaz, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m, Winner Morjanah Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,200m, Winner Mudarrab, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
