AIRLINK 72.80 Increased By ▲ 0.62 (0.86%)
BOP 5.06 Increased By ▲ 0.13 (2.64%)
CNERGY 4.33 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.46%)
DFML 30.52 Increased By ▲ 2.03 (7.13%)
DGKC 85.95 Increased By ▲ 4.65 (5.72%)
FCCL 22.35 Increased By ▲ 0.85 (3.95%)
FFBL 33.22 Increased By ▲ 0.17 (0.51%)
FFL 9.78 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-0.81%)
GGL 10.40 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-0.76%)
HBL 113.62 Decreased By ▼ -0.38 (-0.33%)
HUBC 136.20 Decreased By ▼ -3.80 (-2.71%)
HUMNL 10.03 Increased By ▲ 1.00 (11.07%)
KEL 4.66 Decreased By ▼ -0.07 (-1.48%)
KOSM 4.40 Increased By ▲ 0.02 (0.46%)
MLCF 38.35 Increased By ▲ 0.70 (1.86%)
OGDC 133.40 Decreased By ▼ -0.30 (-0.22%)
PAEL 27.40 Increased By ▲ 1.80 (7.03%)
PIAA 24.76 Increased By ▲ 0.78 (3.25%)
PIBTL 6.55 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (1.08%)
PPL 121.21 Decreased By ▼ -1.41 (-1.15%)
PRL 27.15 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (0.3%)
PTC 13.89 Increased By ▲ 0.29 (2.13%)
SEARL 60.40 Increased By ▲ 3.78 (6.68%)
SNGP 68.53 Decreased By ▼ -0.71 (-1.03%)
SSGC 10.33 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.1%)
TELE 9.05 Increased By ▲ 0.60 (7.1%)
TPLP 11.26 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.18%)
TRG 65.70 Increased By ▲ 4.49 (7.34%)
UNITY 25.25 Decreased By ▼ -0.08 (-0.32%)
WTL 1.50 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
BR100 7,608 Decreased By -22.2 (-0.29%)
BR30 25,091 Increased By 100.6 (0.4%)
KSE100 72,658 Increased By 56.2 (0.08%)
KSE30 23,383 Decreased By -155.9 (-0.66%)

Robots and computers threaten 14 percent of existing jobs over the next 20 years, so countries must retrain workers for a transformed labour market, the OECD warned Thursday. In a report published in Berlin, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that in addition to the destruction of jobs and entire trades, an additional 32 percent of current jobs are likely to be "deeply transformed" by automation in the work place.
According to OECD General Secretary Angel Gurria, the lack of preparation for the looming digital age is a time bomb on social and political levels.
"It is important that people feel that they will be supported if they lose out, and helped in their search for new and better opportunities," he said in a foreword to the report.
Already, "people and communities have been left behind by globalisation and a digital divide persists," Gurria added, pointing to "inequalities along age, gender, and socio-economic lines".
Many of those who have lost out "are stuck in precarious working arrangements with little pay and limited or no access to social protection, lifelong learning and collective bargaining," he noted.
The OECD's researchers found 56 percent of adults in the 36 OECD member countries - among them economic giants like the United States, Japan or Germany - have only "basic" or non-existent information and communication technology (ICT) skills.
As a priority, the OECD recommends that member countries, also including Canada, Chile or Britain, offer "more flexible" retraining compatible with employees' working hours to make it more attractive.
While some governments such as that in France offer financial support for lifelong learning, firms especially in the US are often reluctant to invest in their staff's skills.
The OECD also highlighted a growing trend towards self-employment, with one in seven workers in the club of rich countries working for themselves, while one in nine was on a temporary contract.
Such working relationships often make employees ineligible for training or retraining opportunities.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019

Comments

Comments are closed.