Engineering News reports that the rapid advancements in technology pose both challenges and opportunities for employment and the labour market and it is crucial that organised labour adapts accordingly to ensure it plays a role in securing robust worker protection, upholds worker rights and champions worker skills development strategies to support long-term employment resilience in a technology-driven economy.
This was highlighted last week by speakers from trade union UASA when presenting findings from the ‘2025 UASA South African Employment Report (SAER)’ and the third UASA/Bureau of Market Research (BMR) Employment Index. BMR CEO Professor Carel van Aardt noted that AI technology was still in its infancy, but he expected it to show exponential growth and development over the next two decades. He pointed out that AI technologies would be increasingly disruptive in the labour market, with job displacements a reality, and mitigation, such as skills development, required. Van Aardt reported that technological adaptation, especially automation, AI and robotics, had led to the replacement of routine, manual and repetitive jobs across several industries, including in mining, manufacturing, retail and trade, and business services. However, positively, some industries had benefitted, including information and communications technology, renewable energy, logistics and warehousing and health and social care. The implications of these developments for organised labour were varied, with Van Aardt emphasising the need for it to be adaptive. He underlined the importance of unions supporting upskilling and transition rights. Van Aardt emphasised that organised labour must evolve, with efforts including advocating for regulations to ensure ethical AI use in workplaces.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News
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