Africa-Press – Eswatini. By 2027, machines are predicted to swallow up an additional nine per cent of currently human-performed tasks.
This could see machines performing 43 per cent of jobs as by 2022, machines performed 34 per cent of the jobs.
MTN Fintech CEO, Sam Shongwe, during his presentation dubbed ‘Building skills for the further workplace’ during the Commerce Indaba on Friday at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA).
He said this statistic published by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) painted a picture of a rapidly evolving workplace landscape, where collaboration between humans and machines would become increasingly critical.
He stated that while the news might stir fears of mass unemployment, the ILO painted a more nuanced picture.
He stated that the report acknowledged that some jobs would indeed disappear, particularly those with high automation potential and low cognitive complexity.
“However, it also emphasises that new positions will emerge, demanding human skills that machines struggle to replicate: creativity, critical thinking, social intelligence, and the ability to navigate complex situations,” he said.
Shongwe highlighted that workers therefore needed training to adapt to new roles and acquire the skills demanded by the machine-augmented workplace.
“The past three years have been marked by major disruptions in health, economy, geopolitics, social issues, and environment. These transformations are impacting labour markets globally, creating diverse economic paths,” he said.
Shongwe further highlighted that the Fourth Industrial Revolution, evolving worker and consumer demands, and the quest for green energy transition contributed to reshaping workforces and generating new jobs and skills.
“The International Labour Organisation predicts a significant shift in task allocation between humans and machines over the next five years, with machines taking over an additional nine per cent of tasks by 2027,” he said.
Shongwe further noted that technology adoption would remain crucial for business transformation in the next five years.
“Notably, 26 per cent of jobs in the information and technology services sector are expected to undergo complete change in the same timeframe,” he said. The Fintech CEO said as of 2022, machines performed 34 per cent of jobs while humans handled 66 per cent.
“By 2027, the gap is predicted to decrease, with machines handling 43 per cent of jobs and humans 57 per cent,” he said.
Shongwe further outlined jobs of the further; AI and machine learning specialists, sustainability specialists, business intelligence analyst, information security analysis, Fintech engineers, data analysts and big data specialists.
He also listed the fasted declining jobs; tellers and cashiers, data entry clerks, admin and executive secretaries, accounting, bookkeeping and payroll clerk, legislation and officials, customer service workers and client information workers.
“The fastest-growing roles relative to their size today are driven by technology, digitalisation and sustainability,” said Shongwe.
He added that AI and machine learning specialists were at the top of the list of fast growing jobs followed by sustainability specialists, business intelligence analysts and information security analysts.
“The majority of the fastest declining roles are clerical and secretarial roles,” said Shongwe.
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