With a third of all jobs in South Africa at risk of total automation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has reiterated its call for government to develop measures to cushion workers from the effects of technological advancement in robotics, automation and artificial intelligence.
According to a report released by global consultancy Accenture, 35% of all jobs – both blue and white collar jobs – in South Africa are currently at risk of total automation.
“This includes many supply chain and logistics jobs such as crane operators, truck drivers, packers and pickers in warehouses, reach stacker operators, stocktakers and more,” Clayton Thomas, director of logistics consultancy Industrial Logistic Systems (ILS), told FTW on the sidelines of a recent International Supply Chain Day hosted by RöhligGrindrod and the Southern AfricaGerman Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Johannesburg.
“Automation in logistics is an indisputable reality in South Africa – but so is the high rate of unemployment. We have to ask ourselves whether we can justify automation in the face of a 26.7% unemployment rate.” He said in the end it would come down to efficiency and bottom-line results.
MD of Accenture Consulting in Africa, Dr Roze Phillips, said there was however a rising need for hardto-automate jobs, including those that involved influencing people, teaching people, programming, real-time discussions, advising people, negotiating and cooperating with co-workers.
“Digital is a growth multiplier. Digital technologies are ushering in a new economic era by overcoming the physical limitations of capital and labour, exposing new sources of value and growth, increasing efficiency and driving competitiveness,” she said.
But for countries like South Africa that were less prepared for humanmachine collaboration, digital technologies could bring more job losses than gains, she added. And while the Fourth Industrial Revolution may be disruptive to many occupations, it is also projected to create a wide range of new jobs in fields such as data analysis, computer science and engineering.
“There will also be more demand for user interface experts who can facilitate seamless humanmachine interaction,” she said. But the South African government needed to help facilitate this demand and safeguard jobs, said Cosatu national spokesperson, Sizwe Pamla.
He pointed out that changes to the South African labour law currently allowed firms to dismiss workers because of adoption of technology. “We want this law to be changed in order for all retrenchments to be referred to the CCMA for approval rather than merely notification and consultation,” he said, adding that businesses should also be forced to re-skill their employees to meet the new requirements.
“The current law is very generous to firms or capital because, for example, re-skilling of workers is optional. Despite firms receiving tax credits for training they are not interested in re-skilling workers,” said Pamla.
Caption: According to a report 35% of all jobs – both blue and white collar jobs – in South Africa are currently at risk of total automation.
Quote: Current labour law allows firms to dismiss workers because of adoption of technology. – Sizwe Pamla
