Australia – Most not concerned over future tech advancements that will affect jobs

By memberservices@staffingindustry.com (Danny Romero)

The majority, or 84%, of Australians are not concerned that technological advancements will affect their job in the future, according to research from Randstad.

The Randstad Employer Brand Research also showed that 77% of respondents believe that they won’t need to change careers in the next ten years.

“The gap between perception and reality is fascinating”, Randstad Australia CEO, Frank Ribuot, said. “Automation is a major factor impacting employees globally, however Australians are more focused on short term concerns, such as working longer hours, when the real threat and opportunities are coming from technological advancements.”

Technologist futurist and keynote speaker Shara Evans also commented, “I’m not surprised to hear these research results. Australians and many people around the world seem naïve when it comes to the potential impact technology will have within their workplace. “The reality is that 40% of current jobs in Australia won’t exist in 10-15 years due to automation, that’s five million jobs gone. If I look at the exponential advancements in technology, it is very clear that this figure will continue to rise. In many cases, jobs may not completely disappear but the skillsets for the work being done will need to change into something completely different.

“If we look towards 2030, the workplace of the future will be a very different place. We are already seeing robots performing concierge tasks within the retail space and the future workplace will see humanoid type robots with greater physical capabilities. The technological developments and opportunities are here and it is essential that Australians start embracing these changes and planning ahead”, Evans said.

“It is crucial for businesses to take advantage of the amazing range of developing technologies to stay relevant,” Ribuot said. “Organisations need to understand how automation will potentially affect their business, they need to plan for these advancements, educate employees and look at reskilling options as new jobs and new business needs are created, often in areas where experience is limited or not available”.

Source:: Australia – Most not concerned over future tech advancements that will affect jobs