We need a ‘future-proof’ labor force

Why do we need to create a future-proof labor force at a time when.

* The negative effects of the pandemic are hurting us,

* When pressures are still there to fully absorb the requirements of the Third Industrial Revolution, which includes digitalization, data management and data analytics, and when

* The Fourth Industrial Revolution is already knocking on the door?

 We want to get the message across to the youth that there is a future for them.

Here are the reasons for our concern:

* We are faced with a very young population and with centennials entering our organizations;

* Luckily, the service sector is doing well, thanks to the Business Process Management industry (IT-BPO) which is continuously upskilling – admittedly hospitality / tourism, also part of services, are suffering…

* It is obvious that more needs to be done to get manufacturing and agriculture going.

Another challenge that we have to look at is that many jobs are vulnerable to changes the Fourth Industrial Revolution will bring.

The question is how these challenges can be addressed?

We need reskilling and upskilling in our organizations. But we also need jobs for returning OFWs and for the unfortunate people who lost their jobs due the negative effect of the extensive lockdowns.

My special concern is:

How do we deal with K-12 graduates and college graduates looking for a job in this ‘employment environment’.

It’s great to see that there are private sector initiatives to upskill people inside the organizations and those to be hired.

Dual education, learning by doing and going to professional schools, is successful in Cebu and in other parts of the country.

It is also clear that machines and people have to work side by side; humans must be part of the development of Artificial Intelligence!

It is clear to me that the private sector and government have to cooperate and interact constructively to achieve these challenges. In my view, it is important that certifications for people we have training have to come from both the government organizations and the industry organizations involved.

Exciting are the opportunities for freelance experts in the GIG economy. Filipinos are already playing a major part in this growing sector. The GIG opportunities are supported by two developments:

Decentralization – the barriers to entry in so many fields are basically non-existent;

Connectivity makes it possible to access near everybody in the world.

In my view, companies will be more and more interested to hire technical experts on a short-term basis as consultants and – after the job is done – let them go.

Lastly, we don’t only have to make the youth ‘Future Proof’.

The older generation has to change also: The ‘digitalos’ believe that older ones are out of touch with reality, while the older ones believe the ‘hipsters’ are arrogant and unwilling to listen to them.

We have to help to find middle ground. For companies to be successful, the ‘generations’ have to work constructively together. For me this is part of upskilling and reskilling.

I am looking forward to your responses. You are invited to email me at [email protected]