4th Industrial Revolution: Workshop

The DPRU hosted a half-day workshop on the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”, on Tuesday 19th June in Johannesburg. Featuring presentations from Fiona Tregenna (University of Johannesburg), and DPRU Researchers, Chris Rooney and Safia Khan.

Rapid technological advances in robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning threaten many jobs, especially those in low-skilled sectors. In order to appropriately mitigate potential employment losses as a result of rapid technological advances (often referred to as the Fourth Industrial Revolution), a greater understanding of the extent of the risks posed to employment by adoption of new technologies is required. The DPRU has embarked on research with a key focus of understanding the implications of the 4th Industrial Revolution for employment in South Africa; Evaluating the opportunities and risks of the 4th Industrial Revolution; and examining the number of jobs at risk of automation in middle-income countries; and in South Africa.

Please note: This workshop featured presentations on the research to date, and offered an opportunity for robust discussion and debate on the topic. The findings are still pending and all work should be considered as ongoing and in draft form at this stage.

Funder: This research is commissioned by the Employment Promotion Programme (EPP).

Speaker Bios

Presentations: