Asean in good position to seize major shifts in future of work: DPM

Asean is in a good position to contribute to and benefit from the major shifts affecting work, from the green transition to resilience of supply chains, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.

"The future of work is intrinsically linked to the future economy," he said, speaking virtually at the HR Tech Festival Asia 2022 and the opening of the Asean Future of Work Conference 2022 yesterday.

For instance, South-east Asia can be an alternative base for advanced manufacturing to enhance supply chain resilience. The region's blue carbon stock also has potential to create nature-based solutions for carbon removal. Blue carbon refers to carbon that is stored in coastal and marine ecosystems.

DPM Heng added that there is a need for countries to ride the next skills wave to take advantage of these new opportunities. While computer science and digital skills are part of the first wave, the next wave comprises green skills.

"The digital economy is now a key engine of growth," DPM Heng said, adding that numerous digital tech companies have emerged, creating many good jobs, some of which were previously unheard of.

Countries should now seize the emerging green wave, he said. "Sustainability is an emerging engine of growth that is taking on greater momentum, and much more still needs to be done before countries can meet their net zero goals."

Just like digital literacy, green literacy may become a foundational skill for future jobs, with more green-collar jobs being created in mature fields such as sustainable finance. There are also green-collar jobs being created in emerging areas such as hydrogen and tidewater architecture.

Green skills will continue to be defined and developed in the coming years, said DPM Heng, and it may be some time before a wider range of training pathways and appropriate salary premiums settle.

To ride the different industry waves, stakeholders like firms, workers and governments need to work in collaboration, he added. The workforce also needs to adapt to the changing construct of work, with evolving social norms and preferences as a result of the pandemic.

While flexible workplaces are now here to stay, arriving at a hybrid work environment will require supervisors to ensure that business outcomes are not compromised and that such arrangements are not abused, said DPM Heng.

Protection and social security will also have to be improved for platform workers, whose numbers have increased significantly due to the boom in e-commerce and food delivery. For young job seekers, career guidance has to be strengthened, said DPM Heng.

"We will need to help them look beyond the more attractive take-home pay in the near term, and explore other pathways that could better nurture their skills and provide better livelihoods in the longer term," he said.

The Asean Future Of Work Conference is now in its third run, and took place yesterday as part of the HR Tech Festival Asia, which started on Tuesday and ends today.

Dr Uma Rani, senior economist in the research department of the International Labour Organisation, said there are platforms that classify their workers as self-employed, even though they should be classified as employees.

"Because of that classification, a lot of labour and social protection benefits are not accrued to the platform workers," she said.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling, director of NTUC U Women and Family and U SME, said at a panel discussion on flexible work arrangements that there is also a need to ensure that employees are fairly considered for promotions and bonuses.

"Hopefully... we can come up with more clarity for guidelines for measurements and key performance indicators to ensure fair treatment," said Ms Yeo.