Fourth Industrial Revolution poses employment challenges
This is the sentiment of Thami Moatshe, Group Corporate Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions Director at Servest, who said the onus is on employers and government to work together in developing the necessary skills for a 4IR-ready workforce
WHILE the automation, artificial intelligence and robotic industries are expected to continue growing, the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) remains a challenge in a country with such a high unemployment rate.
This is the sentiment of Thami Moatshe, Group Corporate Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions Director at Servest, who said the onus is on employers and government to work together in developing the necessary skills for a 4IR-ready workforce.
In her outlook on the 2020 facilities management (FM) sector, Moatshe said the view persists that Africa remains the next big market for multinationals, mergers and acquisitions despite global economic instability.
Moatshe’s outlook focuses on the continued rise of technology, with drones set to change the way in which the world works.
With many applications in the FM industry, drones can be used to enhance speed of execution, quality of service, and operational and safety performance.
She said real estate investment would intensify this year in a bid to catch up with the 2019 infrastructure backlog, which would likely increase the demand for professional FM expertise.
As mobile applications become more widely used and virtual or shared work space becomes more popular, Moatshe said cloud-based FM solutions would increase.
She also expects an increase in safety and security innovations, with large investments channelled towards these, as well as facial recognition and biometrics
‘Thought leaders will begin to explore opportunities for partnerships and collaboration to leverage the full potential that technology presents in this space,’ she said.
‘These innovations will enforce integrated solutions thinking in facilities design, resulting in increased maintainability and cost optimisation for our clients.
‘We anticipate more design focus on space optimisation, energy efficiency, environmentally friendly buildings and embracing digital transformation,’ Moatshe said.
Looking back at 2019, Moatshe said waste management is still a concern as, according to the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries’ (DEFF) State of Waste Report, of the 42 million tons of waste generated annually, only 11% is recycled or recovered for other purposes.
Owing to the low barriers to entry in some of the FM sub-sectors, last year saw an increase of new entrants into security, cleaning and office services, posing a challenge of non-compliance in quality standards and legislation.
Moatshe said there is a need to address compliance at the start of this new year.
DEFF introduced some changes to legislation, including the Biodiversity Act and regulations to phase out the use of organic pollutants, along with the proposed amendment to the national greenhouse gas emissions reporting regulations.
These are some of the government’s interventions that should encourage property managers to select experienced FM service providers which are sensitive to environmental stability.
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