The future of work will be affected by the 4.0 Industrial Revolution, but it does not mean automation will totally replace people.

This statement was made by ManpowerGroup, one of the world’s leaders in innovative workforce solutions. Industry 4.0, which is now taking place in America, Europe and parts of Asia, can break the labour market structure. When automation replaces manual labour in the economy or when robots replace people in industries, millions of workers around the world may then become unemployed.

However, creativity, emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility are skills that will tap human potential and allow people to augment robots, rather than be replaced by them, said Simon Matthews, Country Manager, Viet Nam, Thailand and Middle East at ManpowerGroup.

During a workshop on "Preparation of Human Resources and Technology for Digital Era in Viet Nam" held in the capital city on November 14, Matthews said that demand for skills of workforce in the 4.0 industry will be elevated and the local workforce in Viet Nam must equip themselves with better skills.

From 2018, when ASEAN Economic Community members give the workforce more opportunities to find work freely within the region, the job competition will become "hotter". Then, those with the appropriate skill sets will call the shots, he said.

ManpowerGroup’s statistics in the Talent Shortage Survey 2016-17 involving 42,000 companies from all over the world shows that skilled jobs are still classified as the hardest jobs to find employees for five consecutive years.

In South East Asia, following the survey, nearly half of the respondents said they had difficulty in recruiting. The year 2016 is considered as the most difficult one for human resource departments in the last 11 years.

In Viet Nam, the recruitment for senior level positions is in serious shortage, partly due to the "brain drain", as the number of Vietnamese employees working overseas in 2015 increased by 8 per cent versus that of 2014, according to the survey.

In order to prepare sufficient skilled personnel for the Industry 4.0, attendants at the conference emphasised the importance of developing a coordinated programme between relevant agencies and employment service providers to expand information channels on job opportunities to job seekers.

Strengthening career orientation programmes, consulting workers on their career paths and enhancing foreign language skills for students at universities and vocational schools are also necessary. Developing training projects to reskill and upskill workers, and ensuring workers’ employability and sustainable development in the 4.0 era should be also included.

For its suggestion, ManpowerGroup urged businesses in Viet Nam to stay updated with the trend and compete with the times, and to equip employees with up-to-date technology and skills.

Companies need to change the way they recruit talent, and use digital applications in recruitment and training, it said. — VNS