Another important voice has urged the nation to think ahead about the shape of its future workplaces – and prepare people for the change. The Australian Information Industry Association’s call for government to help transition Australia’s workforce to be ready for change is a welcome addition to the debate about the future of work.
AIIA CEO Rob Fitzpatrick’s contribution in the Australian Financial Review highlighted how important it is to plan now for the future changes to Australian workplaces.
He highlighted a number of important issues:
- Technological change will remove some jobs but replace them with new ones;
- 99 per cent of Australians believe innovation is vital to Australia’s future;
- Skills in science, technology engineering and maths (STEM) are vital to our future prosperity; and,
- We need to start prioritising digital literacy and skills to help workers prepare.
Labor believes strongly in preparing our workforce to meet future challenges so Australia can come away from this change in a better position.
Instead of engaging in ideological campaigns, the Turnbull Government desperately needs a focus on the future of work from within its own Employment Portfolio. But it’s failing to have the public discussion about how technological change is vital to remain competitive and ensure employees are able to make the change into new roles.
The Australian Information Industry Association has for a long time promoted policies that embrace change and inclusion – two key planks for Australia’s response to digital disruption in the workplace.
The government has essentially vacated the innovation and digital economy discussion and it needs to be put back on the agenda so Australia is ready to succeed in the economy of the future and so workers are able to secure stable, well-paid jobs.