Swazi Observer

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ROBOT INVASION TO LEAVE MANY GRADUATES JOBLESS

By Hlengiwe Ndlovu | 2018-03-18

MANY graduates will soon find themselves without jobs as robots are invading the industry, Senior Lecturer in Negotiation at the Wits Business School Dr. Geoff Heald said yesterday.

So serious is the threat posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and especially robots to job security globally that trade unions, government and educators need to urgently come together to discuss how schools and university curriculums can be redesigned to ensure graduates do not find themselves without jobs in future.

Dr. Heald feels that even though robots have not made a fully-fledged entry into developing countries like Swaziland as they have in first world countries like Japan, but time is coming when Artificial Intelligence will invade this landscape resulting in unprecedented job losses.

Dr. Heald was speaking in a Labour Law seminar hosted by the Federation of Swaziland Employers and Chamber of Commerce held at the Royal Swazi Convention Centre yesterday.

He also observed that apart from Artificial Intelligence, cryptocurrencies and blockchain devices had also altered the nature of economics and work. “All these technologies require businesses, educators, trade unions, and the legal profession to come together to have serious discussions so as to avoid educating children for unemployment,” he said.

Dr. Heald said the threat posed by Artificial Intelligence requires the collective thoughts of trade unionists, government and related parties because no one quite has answers on how employment opportunities can be created amidst the fourth industrial revolution. “The answer can only come from discourse between trade unions, employers, teachers and all interested parties through collective bargaining which I regard as an incredible social learning process,” he said.

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