Rizal Faisal
One of the most significant game changers which has revolutionised our work life and the way we live is the Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0)
The first industrial revolution used water and steam power to mechanise production, while the second used electric power to create mass production The third used electronics and information technology to automate production.
Now, the IR4.0 is characterised by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. When compared to previous industrial revolutions, the fourth is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace.
Head of Manpower Planning and Employment Council (MPEC) Secretariat at the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Hajah Siti Haziah binti Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin highlighted this during the 19th International School Brunei Borneo Global Issues Conference (ISB BGIC) in her keynote address on taking a closer look at the current evolving work landscape. She further elaborated that it is disrupting almost every industry in every country, and that the breadth and depth of these changes herald the transformation of an entire systems of production, management, and governance.
The possibilities of billions of people connected by mobile devices, with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge, are unlimited.
“And these possibilities will be multiplied by emerging technology breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage, and quantum computing. It is very important to realise that such changes have led and will lead to changes in the type of work, need for different type of skills, ways of working and can be both precedented and unprecedented. The acceleration and the velocity of disruption may be hard to comprehend or anticipate,” she further said.
She emphasised on planned future growth of the economy leading to changes in the world of work.
Dr Hajah Siti Haziah explored another angle on how changes affect the type of work and jobs of tomorrow.
“As mentioned, the IR4.0 is enabling new forms of work, such as telecommuting, freelancing, and gig work. These forms of work off more flexibility and autonomy to workers.
“According to various reports and research including the World Bank Report, there will be sectors that will be at risk of automation or digitisation such as transportation and storage, manufacturing, administration and support services.
“Machines take over more and more routine tasks, will help us solve complex logic questions and carry out difficult and dangerous tasks,” she said.
She highlighted the need to embrace these changes by seeing our role from one of actually doing the task to managing, innovating the technology that is now doing the task for us.
She also reminded that neither technology nor the disruption that comes is a force which humans have no control.
“All of us are responsible for guiding its evolution, in the decisions we make on a daily basis as citizens, users , and investors. We should thus grasp the opportunity and power we have to shape the IR4.0 and direct it towards a future that reflects our common objectives and values,” she said.
“It may be green economy and IR4.0 that determines the skills required today, and it may be another game changer or disruptor on another.
“Its unpredictability of this and the pace of change may be very fast, which means that the technical skills that you may have now and have learnt, may become obsolete and no longer relevant,” she said, further urging workers to remain relevant in the job market by acquiring new skills to address the emergence of new technologies and the green economy.
“It is believed that 65 per cent of our school children will end up at jobs that have not been invented yet. So with these changes, in order to prepare for jobs of tomorrow, adaptability is a must, and lifelong learning becomes more important than ever to keep up with new developments and to remain competitive in the job market,” she advised.
She also said, “Our ways of working have changed and will continue to change. For example, COVID-19 has accelerated the shift to more remote ways of working and technology has enabled this. In fact, remote ways of working are becoming the more preferred way for many as it gives flexibility. However, this means that we will need to learn new ways and skills of how to practice team work, collaboration and communication effectively without the benefit of the same level of physical human to human interaction.”
She proceeded to note that it is important to map the jobs of tomorrow against the growth and anticipate changes of the country and economy.
She noted that new industries and new investments will lead to new job opportunities, which may be building on existing skill requirements or creating a totally different and new skill set requirements.
“Conversely, some industries or sectors are expected to dwindle, or change in their process or ways of working which may bring about the obsolescence of some jobs and skills,” she said.
She further shared that for Brunei, the Economic Blueprint titled Towards a Dynamic and Sustainable Economy acts as a guide for implementing agencies or stakeholder to help Brunei Darussalam accomplish Goal 3 of Wawasan Brunei 2035 – achieving a dynamic and sustainable economy.
“One of the strategic priorities identified is strengthening the identified five priority sectors which are: downstream oil and gas, food, tourism, ICT and services. It is aspired that growing these sectors will create more meaningful new job opportunities. However, we need to make our people ready to take on these new job opportunities at the right time, with the right skills and the right mentality,” she reminded.
She said that the MPEC is also working with industry players through the Manpower Industry Steering Committee (MISC) and also other relevant agencies to map out the growth of the existing industries and identifying critical occupations which are type of occupations that are in demand (up to 2025) and that may be filled by locals.
So far, 60 critical occupations have been identified across the energy, construction, ICT, hospitality and tourism, and transportation and logistics sectors and the list is growing. She said that it is an important exercise as this information is needed to influence and map out the strategy, policy and initiative including the training curriculum towards enabling people to be skilled and able to take up this job and career opportunities.
“Change will always be there and this means that if we want to future proof ourselves against this uncertainty slash certainty, we need to be have the skills to navigate and thrive amidst these changes and uncertainty,” she added.
Dr Hajah Siti Haziah also shared four categories of top skills, according to the World Economic Forum, to have to future proof oneself.
First she mentioned problem solving skills, which are analytical and critical thinking, creativity and innovation, problem solving and reasoning skills. These skills require the ability to analyse and evaluate information to solve problems and the ability to think creatively and come up with new ideas.
Another skill is technology use and development, which includes digital literacy and the skill to use technology. As technology has now become and will become more integral to our lives, work and the way we relate to another, this is indeed a ‘must have’ skill.
Also mentioned was working with people, which includes leadership skills (the ability to motivate and inspire others and take initiative) and also other social skills such as communication and collaboration. With the change in the way we work which shapes the way we interact and in many cases with less human to human interaction, it is very important that we do not lose out on the impact of the social interaction through these changes.
Last but not least is self-management. This includes being adaptable, which is the ability to learn and adjust to new situations and changes – as change is the only certainty in the world of work – and having a growth mindset, which is having the willingness and curiosity to learn and develop new skills. It was highlighted that this is very important in this fickle world of work and will differentiate those who thrive against those who remain stagnant or will fail. This is also about having resilience and grit, having the positive mindset to see things through an opportunity lens, and having the courage and perseverance to see things through despite setbacks.
Another important aspect of self-management is emotional intelligence which is having the self-awareness and ability to recognise and manage emotions in oneself and others including empathy, and also the self-awareness of knowing one’s own strength and passion.
Before concluding, Dr Hajah Siti Haziah added that while some may already have these skills, some can be learnt, built on, developed and practiced.
