This collaboration has occurred via a number of mediums, including the Forum’s Mining and Metals Future of Work Taskforce – a community of industry actors exploring how best to incorporate technology while promoting diversity, equality, morality and safety – to which ICMM contributes.
Our collective understanding was boosted by the Forum’s recent Future of Jobs 2020 report which draws on survey results of companies around the world, across multiple sectors, including several from the mining and metals industry. It estimates that automation could displace as many as 85 million jobs worldwide in the next five years, while approximately 97 million new roles are likely to emerge. One in two workers will need what is computer engineering and even those that remain in their current jobs will need to update 40% of their skills to adapt to the future of work.
The report revealed that the mining and metals sector saw skills gaps as a significant barrier to the adoption of new technologies, reflecting potential challenges in both realizing the benefits of automation (improved productivity, safety and environmental management) and in transitioning its workforce to a more automated industry. Of course, this challenge does not exist exclusively at the operational level. The effect undoubtedly extends to local communities whose members are employed by mining operations or supply chains and who often rely on the income and economic activity generated by the industry.
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