Impact of automation on jobs

How will Singapore fare in Man v Machine?

OCBC may be halving the number of bank tellers, but new opportunities are opening up for many of them in digital roles. Insight looks at the way forward as Singapore embraces change brought about by technology and innovation.

OCBC's Miss Aisha Poh Zi Qian was unfazed by the bank's plan to halve the number of its bank teller jobs over two years. In March, she was among the first batch of 16 to be retrained as digital ambassadors.
OCBC's Miss Aisha Poh Zi Qian was unfazed by the bank's plan to halve the number of its bank teller jobs over two years. In March, she was among the first batch of 16 to be retrained as digital ambassadors. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
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Twenty-seven-year-old Aisha Poh Zi Qian was surprised one day last year when her 50-something father, a drinks seller at a coffee shop, asked her how to do his banking online.

Miss Poh, who was working as a bank teller for OCBC Bank at the time, says her father liked to do his banking the traditional way, face to face at the bank.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on August 05, 2018, with the headline How will Singapore fare in Man v Machine?. Subscribe