An optimist's take on reskilling in the age of AI | Sagar Goel
May 31, 2024
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Sagar Goel, a skill-building strategist renowned for his work with the Singaporean government, discusses the urgent need for reskilling in the age of AI. He highlights the impact of technology on global jobs and shares inspiring examples from Singapore’s RISE program, which helps workers transition to digital careers. Goel emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning and adaptive mindsets, citing IKEA's innovative initiative to re-skill call center employees as design consultants, showcasing how collaboration can transform the workforce.
One key takeaway is the necessity for individuals to embrace lifelong learning to adapt to the changing job landscape driven by technology.
Another key takeaway is the importance of government involvement in launching reskilling initiatives to help workers transition into new careers.
Deep dives
Impact of Technology on Jobs
As AI and technology continue to advance, one in every three workers globally is expected to see significant impacts on their jobs within this decade. This shift in the economic landscape will not only affect traditional roles like bank tellers and factory workers but also executive managers and office workers. The rapid pace of technological change means that companies can't simply hire their way out of this problem due to skill redundancy, leading to a necessary focus on reskilling millions of individuals annually.
Singapore's Approach to Reskilling
Singapore, despite being a small country without major resources, has taken a proactive stance on reskilling its workforce. By emphasizing adult skill-building through innovative methods like gamified interactive courses, Singapore aims to transition workers from declining roles to new occupations such as data scientists and digital marketers. The government's involvement, including launching programs like RISE to reskill thousands of individuals, has been instrumental in this national reskilling initiative.
The Role of Governments and Companies in Reskilling
Countries like Italy, Spain, and India are following Singapore's lead in launching reskilling initiatives to address the impact of technology on jobs. Companies, such as Ikea, demonstrate a shift from skepticism to optimism by reskilling call center employees into new roles like interior design consultants. Beyond governments and companies, individuals are encouraged to embrace lifelong learning behaviors and invest in developing new skills to adapt to the evolving job landscape driven by technology.
One in three workers globally will see their jobs disrupted by AI and tech advancements this decade — but there's a way to stay ahead of the curve. Skill-building strategist Sagar Goel shares practical examples from a partnership with the Singaporean government that helped thousands of workers transition into new careers, offering a lesson on the importance of reskilling and becoming a lifelong learner.