BUSINESS INSIGHT
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confident and assured Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) addressed delegates and the press.
“As uncertainty continues to bite on the UK economy, there has
never been a more important time for the UK to unite behind a leapfrog industrial strategy. The aim is to enable British firms to compete and win in the new technology age. It is also urgent. Change is coming at lightning speed and the world won’t wait for Britain. “This means we can’t afford to let Brexit distract from the
long-term action that is so badly needed. What’s at stake is the UK’s future in a global economy that is redefined by artificial intelligence and automation. “Firms agree on what matters most: transforming the UK’s
skills base, modernising its physical and digital infrastructure, and accelerating innovation”.
What does the future of work look like? The CBI had an impressive line up to support their call to action for UK firms to support the government’s Industrial Strategy white paper, and work with the government and across political parties to ensure economic growth. The CBI’s survey of more than 400 firms revealed that 82 per cent of businesses saw people, infrastructure and innovation as the main pillars of the way forward. Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer at Microsoft, spoke
about rising to the challenge of the fourth industrial revolution, commenting that ‘businesses die, but people survive’ and urged the audience to embrace the opportunities emerging from technological change. The stark reality is 35 per cent of jobs may be displaced by automation and AI, but new jobs will take their place. On Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 November the CIPD (Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development) hit the headlines and shared the same message at their conference for HR professionals, driving the importance of training and retraining across the generations to support economic growth and create a workforce fit for the future. Dame Martha Fox, a huge advocate for driving technological
advancement, was the CIPD’s opening keynote speaker. Dame Fox is clearly passionate about the role of technology and making it accessible to all, but she also came across as very human and grounded. Dame Fox reflected on the gender pay gap in the technology sector, as well as age-diversity issues, that need to be resolved to drive the economy and make a fairer society. At the CBI conference, Brad Smith described the evolution of
industrial change and stressed the importance of UK companies seizing the initiative to capitalise on new technologies powered by the Cloud and Artificial Intelligence. Mr Smith reinforced the point that as 90 per cent of jobs will require new digital skills, businesses had to take up a leadership role and communicate to schools, universities and colleges what future skills would be needed. Bringing new skills into schools and developing the curriculum
would enhance the reputation of Britain as a leader in this area. Confirming Microsoft’s commitment to technological
advancement in the UK he said, “We will lead a programme to create 30,000 apprenticeships between now and 2020.” Mr Smith went on to explain that working with their partners,
Microsoft are committed to creating new career opportunities for people in the UK to ensure the benefits of new technology can be felt by people of all ages. “Across the economy, there are huge opportunities for innovation”
Brad Smith explained, confirming Microsoft’s commitment to expanding in the UK. The final panel at the CBI conference Ensuring automation works for everyone assessed the impact of automation on UK businesses.
It was chaired by Siobhan Kennedy, business editor at Channel 4 News, and panellists included Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress, Mike Coupe, chief executive officer (CEO) of Sainsbury’s, Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the CBI, Alison FitzGerald, chief operating officer at London City Airport, and Duncan Logan, founder and CEO of RocketSpace. Frances O’Grady said, “We must ensure that tech-poor
communities aren’t left behind”. In a rapidly changing world of work, Ms O’Grady argued that “every worker should have the right to reskill and upskill” to ensure they get their fair share of the wealth technology generates. “Workers need a real voice in shaping our future economy” to
ensure technology is a force for liberation. She added that “unions need seats at the table alongside businesses” over the future direction of our economy to guarantee everyone a great working life. Having described how Sainsbury’s and the retail sector had
embraced technology to respond to customer needs, Mike Coupe went on to support the message on reskilling. “We should be looking as a society, not only at how we train our young people, but also at how we train our older workforce,” Mr Coupe said. Duncan Logan of RocketSpace spoke passionately about
the importance of businesses working with start-ups and large corporates gearing up for the future. “I would encourage every company to have an innovation programme,” Mr Logan explained. He also advocated a new way of looking at learning where training and education was offered at different stages throughout life.
Globalisation a positive force? Globalisation can be seen as a threat and BBC business editor, Simon Jack teased out the challenges and opportunities faced by international organisations. He described the CBI as the ‘Beating heart of the UK economy” and wondered if the UK had hit the peak of globalisation. Panel member, Angel Gurría, the secretary general of the
Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), explained that he saw globalisation as irreversible, but emphasised the need to bridge divides and ensure a fairer distribution of opportunities. Mr Gurría saw the need to empower people through better skills and improved public services. The quest, he explained, was to make globalisation work for all by delivering better policies for better lives. Steven Armstrong, group vice president and president of Europe,
Middle East and Africa at the Ford Motor Company, represents a truly global organisation operating across Europe. Asked by Simon Jack about how the company communicated
with the workforce about globalization, Mr Armstrong explained that Ford employees are familiar with the concept that the strength of their business is the fact it is global, with skill and capabilities around the world. In all of the markets Ford operated in they were able to create
high value and skilled jobs. The UK is an important market for Ford with 15,000 employees, but when pressed about the impact of Brexit, Steven Armstrong confirmed that the company did not want to exit the UK, but it might if the UK was not competitive. They need a clear view and assurances of a transition agreement.
The sharing economy and using technology as an enabler for growth Serial entrepreneur Debbie Wosskow sold Love Home Swap, the home-exchange club, in the summer for £40 million. She has since launched AllBright with co-founder Anna Jones, former CEO of Hearst Magazines.
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