Each week, TODAY’s long-running Big Read series delves into the trends and issues that matter. This week, we look at how technology-driven changes have affected workers, particularly those who are not technologically savvy. This is a shortened version of the full feature, which can be found here.

SINGAPORE — As industries try to keep up with the relentless march of technology, workers young and old have risen to the challenge to embrace new skills and stay ahead.

However, a segment of society remains at risk of being left in the dust. These workers — who are typically of the older set and quick to profess a lack of technological know-how — are not just struggling to keep up with changes hitting almost all sectors, they also fear technology-driven innovations would usurp their roles and leave them jobless.

So the question is: What happens to these workers?

CHALLENGES MORE ACUTE IN SINGAPORE

While these challenges are not unique to Singapore, economists explained why the obstacles confronting workers may be more acute here:

• There is a much higher tendency for companies in Singapore, where wages are relatively high, to replace labour with machines than in countries with low manpower costs, such as Indonesia. So firms have sought to adapt by deploying more machines relative to workers in their production processes.

• The adoption of technology here may also be accelerated to some degree by Singapore’s Smart Nation drive, advanced manufacturing activities and efforts to draw foreign direct investments.

FEAR OF INABILITY TO COPE

Despite the efforts of some employers, there remain pockets of individuals averse to technology for fear of being unable to cope.

Mr Hassan Rahman, 62, is one of them.

The cleaner with ISS, a facility services company, prefers to stick to mopping and cleaning the premises at Our Tampines Hub rather than operate cleaning equipment.

He told TODAY that using such equipment entails knowing how to operate their various parts. “I am old already and had better not. I don’t know how to use machines,” he said.

Ms Faith Wong, ISS’ director of people and culture, said that the firm would identify suitable role models to inspire workers who are not ready to use technology, so as to understand their fears and address them, as well as provide feedback.

“For the foreseeable future, we will continue to perform some work that is not impacted by new technology. Hence, there will always be some work for those few who are unable to adapt,” she said.

THOSE WHO DID IT 

Then, there are other workers eager to break into new realms of work and learn new skills, but success required a lot of hard work.

Ms Nahariah Mohd Nor, 47, spent about a decade as a bank teller at four DBS branches until she took a leap of faith in 2017.

She opted to be retrained as a member of the bank’s pioneering video teller machine team.

The bank has 42 such machines islandwide, offering round-the-clock services, including instant replacement of debit cards. Customer service officers such as Ms Nahariah appear via a live video from 8.30am to midnight daily on these machines.

Ms Nahariah, who conceded she was not technologically savvy, said that she nearly gave up in her first week of training, but stayed the course at the encouragement of the human resources department.

She also received help from her team manager and younger colleagues. “Until now, they are still helping me because they know I’m not computer-savvy,” she added. “If I didn’t change, I’d be forever in a branch, I’d never have moved forward.”

At Grand Park City Hall, a luxury hotel on Coleman Street, laundry attendant May Tan, 62, also underwent a big shift after her employer put in place an automated conveyor system in March 2017, where staff members retrieve their uniforms by tapping an employee card.

For 12 years previously, Madam Tan served staff members manually, by hanging up their clean uniforms on their assigned hangers and handing them over at the start of the day.

Among her tasks today, she scans the radio-frequency-identification-tagged uniforms after they return from washing, which automatically brings the assigned slot to her along a conveyor line.

Employees pick up their uniforms via a collection point after they are delivered via the conveyor.

At the outset, Mdm Tan said she was slightly apprehensive about coping with the new system, owing to the rather complex process of registering staff members and their uniform chip numbers.

But with the help of a training session and a step-by-step manual, she has overcome the initial difficulties. “Technology is good, it saves time and eliminates error,” Mdm Tan said. “It’s good to update ourselves.”

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT TECH

In some workplaces, employees do not necessarily have to be technologically inclined to adapt or learn new skills in order to stay employable.

At Spic & Span, a commercial cleaning company, the focus has shifted away from just cleaning. Last year, it began equipping some workers with skills to perform handyman and plumbing services. Others are being trained to move into clean technology, including bio-fogging and indoor air-quality management.

At travel agencies, employees now devote more time to boosting customer experience, after technology reduced paperwork drastically.

Ms Jennifer Mak, 40, started out at Dynasty Travel in 2007 as a staff member selling tour packages.

She has now been reassigned to lead a new “customer experience” division where, for example, she trains staff members in providing good service and attends to the needs of customers, such as sending email or text messages to check on them during their trip.

“The human touch is what people want now… We will still need staff to give that human touch to our customers,” Ms Mak said.

THE ROAD AHEAD

Economists largely agreed that no job is spared from technological disruption, though for the moment, certain roles demanding a high degree of human interaction could be at lower risk.

These include:

• Psychologists and social workers

• Personal concierge services, including workers who run errands for time-pressed individuals

Still, economists noted that it is unclear if some of these jobs would be disrupted in the years ahead by artificial intelligence. The longer-term viability of fairly low-skilled service jobs also remains in question.

So, what can be done to help workers who are sidelined by technology?

The economists have several suggestions:

• Interventions to facilitate re-employment and employability of those hit hardest, such as older workers.

• Continuous efforts to identify specific groups needing income support, to ensure they earn a decent wage.

• Restructure business models and processes to make workplaces more age-friendly, using technology as an aid, and allowing part-time work and flexible hours.

• Toughen up regulations on discriminatory practices against older workers.

• The Government should take the lead to re-employ workers beyond age 67 where possible, starting with teachers and healthcare professionals.