Tag: 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR)

A study conducted by research firm In On Africa revealed that 86% of Small Medium Enterprise (SME) owners use their smartphones for business purposes. While 60% of the SME owners also feel that limitations posed by lack of a reliable internet connection, reliable services or financial solutions pose a threat to the success of their business.

The task of re-skilling millions of workers may feel overwhelming. By 2022 alone, 75 million jobs will probably be displaced across 20 major economies, while 133 million new ones will spring up in industries that are only just gaining traction. At the same time, it’s estimated that nearly two-thirds of children who started school in 2016 will go on to have jobs that don’t yet exist.

“How does Artificial Intelligence (AI) impact our world of work?” the editor asked. “Will the world see massive unemployment from the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) underpinned by AI, smart robots and all the new computing power and even smarter programming the world has today?”

The issue of digital disruption is currently at the forefront of business discussions across all industries, but is currently arguably most acutely being felt, and feared, in the Contact Centre industry. With Contact Centres at the forefront of both the interface between customers and the organisation and the cutting edge of new technology deployment, the imperative for Contact Centres to adapt to changing customer communication preferences is paramount.

Read our exclusive cover story titled FUTURE OF WORK? | THE REAL IMPACT OF AI & 4IR ON EMPLOYMENT by Mike Schüssler, Economist at Economists.co.za, as well a host of other topical management articles written by professionals, consultants and academics in the February/March 2020 edition of BusinessBrief.

As we enter a new decade, CEOs are showing record levels of pessimism in the global economy, with 53% predicting a decline in the rate of economic growth in 2020. This is up from 29% in 2019 and just 5% in 2018 – the highest level of pessimism since we started asking this question in 2012.

In 2020, technology is set to continue transforming organisations and skills needs are evolving rapidly. As organisations focus on sustainability, relevance and sourcing and retaining talent, job seekers will need to focus on learnability and skills development.

The 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) is gaining traction in all sectors. Artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and automation are being applied to create ingenious innovations – advancements aimed at making life easier, improving productivity and speeding up the evolution of industries.

Every year people make promises to themselves in the form of new year’s resolutions, and the happiest and most successful people are those who have managed to turn a promise to improve themselves into a sustainable habit.

The 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) is underway and it is shaping up some of the most significant opportunities and challenges of our lifetime. The surging high-tech, sharing economy is transforming jobs, policies, industries and entire economies as we witness our digital and physical worlds continue to merge.