Masterclass Future of WorkMatthias Thorns

The IOE

Trends affecting world of work

5 Megatrends changing business and impacting the world of work:

‣ Digitalisation and technology progress

‣ Globalisation

‣ Demographics

‣ Sustainability pressure

‣ Skills shortage

IOE Survey country results

Impacts on the world of work

‣ The way we organise our work (working time, location, monitoring systems)

‣ Employment status of workers/definition of employer – link social protection

‣ Evolution of skills needed by industry (skills gap, shortages, mismatches)

‣ Quality of jobs and working conditions (wages, job security)

‣ Employment rates – if automation will displace jobs

‣ Dynamics of Industrial Relations and Social Dialogue

FoW receives political attention

‣ G20

‣ G7

‣ ILO

‣ OECD

‣ World Bank

‣ EU Commission

‣ National level

‣ ….

ILO Global Commission on FoW

Key recommendations:

‣ Strengthening of lifelong learning systems

‣ Support of “people through future of work transitions”

‣ Reinforcement of policies on gender equality

‣ Strengthening of social protection systems

‣ Promotion of collective representation and social dialogue

‣ Establishing an “Universal Labour Guarantee”

‣ Expansion of time sovereignty

‣ Setting an international governance system for digital labour platforms

Skills Shortage a global problem

‣ Estimates that by 2020

there may be a global

shortage of 38–40 million

highly skilled workers

‣ Only 29% of employers in the GCC countries feel that the education system in their country prepares students with the right technical skills

Reform of E&T systems needed

‣ Education and Training

systems do not deliver

the skills needed at the

labor market

‣ The involvement of

Business in the systems is

key and regarded as most

important measure

Business is proactive

IOE Study shows, Companies are:

‣ Familiar with FOW discussions and understand its impact on work streams (86%)

‣ Aware of the challenges and have proceeded to make changes within thecompany (63%)

‣ Have not dismissed FOW as a passing trend /buzzword

‣ Understand the trends impact on the skilling of the workforce and how talent acquisition processes evolve

‣ Not waited for governments to respond – by already rolling out extensive training programs, learning academies for retail upskilling, hosting digital deep dives

‣ Indeed, studies show that workers have low expectations of govern. to play a role in protecting them

Business is proactive

Case Study: Collaboration between BASF and the

Ministry of Education in Rheinland-Pfalz

‣ Key elements of the cooperation include

‣ the use of a common learning platform,

‣ the intensification of cooperation between vocational schools and training companies and

‣ the joint qualification of teachers and trainers.

‣ Since 2018: 500 pupils and 240 teachers and trainers are involved.

Harnessing FoW opportunities

Creating a conducive, open and attractive IT culture - Don’t just set uptraining programmes, it is about a learning culture

‣ It has little to do with upgrading to new techniques, sophisticated tools and technologies, or measuring and monetising technology’s impact

‣ Rather, the dominant through line is the need to shift the mindset to create an IT culture that promotes more innovative, responsive, and meaningful employees

Harnessing FoW opportunities

Engage employees in the transition, rather than just informing them thatchange is coming - workforce is more agile than employers think

‣ A Harvard Business School 2018 study found that the assumption that workers fear that technology will make their jobs obsolete is incorrect

‣ A majority of workers felt that automation / AI would have a positive impact

‣ Workers had low expectations of governments playing a role in protecting them

‣ Workers recognised that they needed to prepare themselves to meet the challenges posed by the changing nature of work

‣ Worldwide, three out of four workers perceived the need to prepare for the future of work

Harnessing FoW opportunities

Case Study: Work@Industry 4.0 of theGerman Chemical Industry

‣ Development of joint understanding how the transformation in the world of work in the chemical industry can be successful.

‣ Joint working groups on lifelong learning, healthy working conditions, flexible work arrangements, work organization and leadership.

‣ Focus on activities which can be done by the social partners themselves.

Harnessing FoW opportunities

The availability of talent is everything -Create a compelling and meaningful company culture

appeal to younger talent.

‣ Hunt for talent is old problem, but Digitalization /

AI exacerbated the challenge

‣ Need to untap populations which are underrepresented in the labor

market: 3.9 million inactive women and male youth in the GCC part of

local talent pool

‣ Challenge is not only to win talent, but to retain it. Special focus needs

to be given to the millennials. More than 60 percent of millennials

think that 7 months of tenure means that they are loyal

Harnessing FoW opportunities

How to eat an elephant - Taking small steps is better than none

‣ Smaller companies can be discourage to engage in view of the complexity of the topic

‣ Addressing FoW issues is a continuousjourney

‣ Focus on the low-hanging fruits

‣ Engage and work with external stakeholders that can help on the journey

Harnessing FoW opportunities

Regular engagement with Employers` Organizations

‣ Some challenges are systemic and need a comprehensive response inpartnership with many actors

‣ Employers` federations have a key role to play in the governance of skill building systems as well as in the modernization of labor markets

‣ They facilitate partnerships, raise awareness, inform aboutdevelopment and trends

FoW needs to be inclusive

No one should be left behind. Risks and chances for persons withdisabilities

‣ Labor market participation rate of persons with disabilities is muchlower than that of persons without disabilities

‣ FoW entail risks for persons with disabilities, but also offer opportunities

‣ Key issues are

‣ Inclusive new forms of employment (flexible work organization)

‣ On-going inclusive training (training is accessible for employees withdisabilities)

‣ Universal Design for developing infrastructures, products andservices

‣ Accessible assistive technology

‣ Inclusive economic development and growth (inclusion of persons withdisabilities

in initiatives targeting the new growth areas, e.g. the low-carboneconomy)

Thank youwww.gpca.org.ae