Canada is quickly evolving as new technologies are introduced. Canadians are increasingly becoming more skilled, productive, prosperous and inclusive. However, productivity growth is slowing down with an aging population, which is expected to hinder economic growth going forward. That means technology is becoming even more important to our future.
The fourth industrial revolution will have introduced new uncertainty and debate into the conventional expectations about the impact of technology. Technology (AI, VR, etc.) is mastering tasks that were previously too difficult and unpredictable for machines to perform. This capacity to automate work tasks is raising concern about job security for some workers.
Digital technologies are enabling firms to unbundle tasks in new ways and as a result, it has become easier for firms to take advantage of ‘contingent’ work arrangements. It is important to recognize that even though we have benefited from technological progress up to this point, there were significant economic and policy challenges involved in the process of industrialization. A big part of the reason that we have benefited from technological change so far is because we have evolved in response and will probably need to do more of that, moving forward. Some studies show that those who will be impacted the most, are those in less skilled work arrangements.
According to a new research study “Automatic Reaction – What Happens to Workers at Firms that Automate?” highly-paid workers will be more commonly affected, but the effects of automation will be more severe for less well-paid workers. Our new challenge now is to make sure we have the right skills to ensure that the benefits of technology are to help us improve our careers and generally our lives.
The ten skills that will help people in navigating these changes, according to the World Economic Forum “The 10 skills you need to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, will be:
A common element between developing these skills is the person’s ability to be resilient in the face of change. If resilience is understood to be a disposition which is a feature of an individual’s capacities and identity. Also, at their very core, they are skills that require empathy. The ability to see things from someone else’s’ perspective. With that in mind, it is very clear that developing skills in resilience and empathy are the sure way to lessen the burden due to the impact of automation.
Those who succeed will be those who have the ability to establish strong relationships, coordinate with and teach others. They will need to be adaptable and resilient. They will need to have the ability to learn new things and be productive amid changing circumstances. In other words they will need to develop strong skills in emotional intelligence, which will give them cultural sensitivity, empathy, and the ability to influence the emotions of others in a positive way.
With the impact of automation looming over our heads, it seems like the future really is human.
References:
Bessen, James E. and Goos, Maarten and Salomons, Anna and Van den Berge, Wiljan, Automatic Reaction – What Happens to Workers at Firms that Automate? (January 2019). Boston Univ. School of Law, Law and Economics Research Paper .
Spark Empathy 
Leave a comment