Technology: Workplace Adoption and Perceptions By Employees
As a leading digital hub in Asia, Singapore is increasingly embracing the idea that incorporation of new technologies, robots and automation enhances work productivity and optimises the workforce.
Given the surge or increase in the rate of automation, the next three years are bound to be characterised by at least one-third of job roles being merged, particularly in the services and manufacturing sectors. Emerging developments in the workplace also indicate the warm reception towards artificial intelligence by workers putting their trust more in robots than their managers. This stresses the fact that hire and fire strategy may no longer be the norm given the efficiency of robots in the workplace.
However, not all employees are in agreement as a section of workers and industry players lay bare their fears that a huge chunk of the workforce will be laid off with the hardest hit being in the service industry. A ripple effect is where women will find themselves affected more as they hold the biggest share of the workforce in the service industry.
While most stakeholders feel that this is a necessary evil, some tend to differ in that a more humane way should be exercised to limit the impacts of lay-offs. In as much as the country will double up on its productivity, relevant bodies will have to ensure that those affected will be re-trained into other roles.
Areas Where Robots and Automation Thrive
Automation will require the intervention of both man and machine to work together rather than machines replacing humans. As it stands, machines or robots are good at repetitive jobs characterised by manual labour and a predictive environment.
A case in point is the financial institution, Goldman Sachs that employed over 600 stockbrokers to aid in trading. The introduction of artificial intelligence and algorithms in the institutions led to the reduction of stockbrokers to 2. The laid-off workers were retrained and were employed to take up computer engineering roles.
Amazon is known to enlist the services of robots in its warehouses to the tune of more than 40,000. On the other hand, it led to the increment of job opportunities at its fulfillment centers.
The manufacturing as well as maintenance, hospitality and logistics industries spanning jobs in many sectors such as janitorial, hotels and warehousing are too at risk. Automation in transaction processes such as in ordering and payment systems in service industries has greatly reduced the need for cashiers and human handlers.
Thus, for companies operating in tech-driven sectors with job roles constantly evolving along with technology advancements, recruiters will have to be mindful of the job security concerns of potential candidates, so as to assure the best talents of the company's ability and willingness to help them adapt and grow alongside these constant changes.
How best to communicate this assurance successfully will vary with the types and job levels, and the corresponding career attitudes of the candidates the company is recruiting for. To get real-world insights on job security attitudes of Singapore candidates across 20 industries, employers can visit JobStreet.com's Laws of Attraction portal here.
From the insights on Job Security below, we can see that contract roles, a common feature in tech departments, are best suited for fresh graduates or candidates looking for their first jobs, while a middle manager might be better assured with the prospects of a permanent role with the company. An interesting observation here is when it comes to selecting prospective employers, females in middle management positions tend to prefer companies they perceive to be more established and financially secured, than their male counterparts.
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Humans Excel In Less-Predictable Environments
It is important to note that despite the increased uptake and replacement of jobs by artificial intelligence, there exist certain unpredictable and unstructured environments that robots cannot thrive in. Industries such as health care, governed by stringent regulations limit the impact in the application of artificial intelligence technology. Simply put, robots cannot handle patient-facing roles where intelligence and emotions are key to performing one’s duties.
Artificial intelligence has the potential of being a disruptor in the logistic field, particularly when it comes to highway trucking although it still faces stringent regulatory challenges. Despite the developments made, it still remains a challenge for robots to conduct non-highway manipulation of motor vehicles. The same reasons also apply to the construction industries where human supervision is inevitable.
Perceptions and Attitudes of Different Generations Towards Technology
With the advent and huge strides in developments taking shape in the technological world, we would expect that a majority of the population would ride the bandwagon. While this may be particularly true for Millennials and Generation Z workers, there still remains fears and cold reception towards such technological advancements in the previous generations.
Born in between the ’90s to late 2000, Generation Z displays an immense appetite towards such technological advancements. They practically live and breathe technology as their whole lives have evolved around it. Further advancement in technology would only beget a positive reception from this lot as their interest in technology surpasses the charts.
To learn more about the job aspirations and attitudes of Generation Z workers and candidates, head over to JobStreet.com's Laws of Attraction portal anytime.
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For the Generation X and the older Baby Boomers, they exhibit a more cautious outlook towards technology. While they understand that it is vital to acquire new skills in order to keep up with the fast evolving technology driven environment, they tend to favour and stick to roles that are less technologically reliant, as they perceive these roles as providing them with higher job security.
LOA data shows that Gen X candidates places job security concerns such as having a permanent role at an established company in higher importance than other candidates.
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Nevertheless, the selective use of technology among the baby boomers is quite evident as they make use of technologies that seem to cater to their needs and enhance the quality of their lives. They tend to tread cautiously in adopting technologies, for instance those that revolutionise the way they communicate.
Conclusion
The subsequent advancements in technology have a profound impact on how businesses operate. Despite its advancement and the perceived benefits that accrue as a result of embracing it, fears abound as to whether it will be more beneficial than harmful. It should also be noted that different perceptions shroud the issue of technological advancement. As we move into the future, let’s remember to hold the hands of our predecessors by making sure they benefit from such advancements.
Data used in article are drawn from Data Lab - the interactive exploration tool at JobStreet.com's Laws of Attraction portal - based on a comprehensive study of more than 7,000 candidates across 20 industries in Singapore.