The rise of technology and impact on skills

ABSTRACT

The fourth industrial revolution will bring extensive changes in the nature of work. While automation is likely to displace workers, new occupations will be created. Emerging occupations are likely to be disproportionately concentrated in the nonroutine and cognitive category, and require skills that cannot be easily automated. This paper argues that meeting the skill demands of the fourth industrial revolution requires strengthening learnability – the willingness and ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn – among the current and future workforce. The paper provides a summary of the literature on how automation impacts jobs. In this context, the paper considers the implications for workforce development in terms of both skills supply and demand. Specifically, the paper describes emerging trends in education systems and identifies trends among firms that demand greater learnability. Finally, the paper proposes moving toward a learning society that promotes learnability at all stages of workforce development.

KEYWORDS:

• Fourth industrial revolution
• 21st century skills
• education and training
• learning society
• learnability
• workforce development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. ‘The First Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanize production; the Second used electric power to create mass production; and the Third used electronics and information technology to automate production. A Fourth Industrial Revolution is building on the Third and is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is being driven by extreme automation and connectivity and a special feature of it will be the wider implementation of artificial intelligence’ (World Economic Forum https://www.weforum.org/).

2. Using Autor’s (2015) classification of skill levels based on the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) Divisions.

3. Key features of UIL’s learning cities are inclusive learning in the education system, revitalized learning in communities, effective learning for and in the workplace, use of modern learning technologies, enhanced quality in learning, and a vibrant culture of learning throughout life (UNESCO, 2017).

4. The Open University in the United Kingdom is one such example (Open University http://www.openuniversity.edu/).

5. For example, Coursera and Udacity.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sungsup Ra

Dr. Sungsup Ra is the Director of the South Asia Human and Social Development Division, Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines.

Unika Shrestha

Unika Shrestha is a Social Sector Specialist in the  South Asia Human and Social Development Division, Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines.

Sameer Khatiwada

Dr. Sameer Khatiwada is a Social Sector Specialist (ICT) in the  Southeast Asia Human and Social Development Division, Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines.

Seung Won Yoon

Dr. Seung Won Yoon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Higher Education and Learning Technologies at Texas A&M University - Commerce, Commerce, Texas, USA.

Kibum Kwon

Dr. Kibum Kwon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Higher Education and Learning Technologies at Texas A&M University - Commerce, Commerce, Texas, USA.