Women’s Jobs at risk in Fourth Industrial Revolution

The Fourth Industrial Revolution will have a disproportionately negative impact on the economic prospects of women, although the emphasis on talent brought about by sweeping changes caused by disruptions to the labour force will result in more women progressing into senior positions, a new study by the World Economic Forum has found.

According to The Industry Gender Gap Report, published yesterday in Davos, the burden of job losses that will result from automation and disinter-mediation as a result of the Fourth Industrial Revolution will impact on women and men relatively equally, with 52 per cent of the 5.1 million net job losses expected globally between now and 2020 affecting men, compared with 48 per cent affecting women. However, the fact that those women make up a smaller share of the workforce means  that today’s economic gender gap may widen even further than the current 40 per cent.

 

This blow to gender equality can be explained by the fact that some of the roles most at risk from automation and disintermediation are those that are performed by a larger proportion of women; for example, in the Office and Administrative” job family. However, it is also partly a result of the fact that women are relatively under-represented when it comes to jobs that are expected to have the most growth in the next five years; for example, the Computer and Mathematical and Architecture and Engineering job families.

UK digital skills fall by over 12 million- heatmap.

It has produced what it calls a digital exclusion heatmap, pinpointing the areas where people are most likely to miss out on the digital revolution.

There is bad news for Wales where over a third of the population do not have the five basic digital skills as defined by the charity. But London, Scotland and East Anglia, come top of the league with over 80% of people having those skills. 

 

The map also shows that men are less likely to be digitally disadvantaged than women, with 80% having the necessary skills as compared to 74% of women.

What are these five skills, without which we are unfit for the digital future? Well if you can manage information, communicate, make payments, solve problems, and create stuff online then you are in good shape.