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Singapore: Half of all logistics sector jobs to change or be displaced with Industry 4.0
AT least 1 in 2 job roles within the logistics sector will undergo at least a medium degree of change or undergo displacement in the coming 3 to 5 years with the adoption of Industry 4.0 (I4.0).
A total of 56 job roles were studied, and 30 job roles (54 per cent) will experience at least a medium degree of change. The remaining 26 job roles are expected to change incrementally, according to the Jobs Transformation Map (JTM) for the logistics sector which took a deep dive into the impact of I4.0 technology solutions on Singapore’s logistics workforce.
The JTM is championed by the Economic Development Board and supported by the Ministry of Manpower, Enterprise Singapore (ESG), SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore (WSG).
In a media briefing, Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng noted that mature workers form a “significant proportion” of the logistics workforce.
“(They) may suddenly feel that the gap between their current skill sets and the skills required for I4.0 roles seems to be too huge,” he said.
“Of course, it depends on the individual’s current level of skills, but I would like to encourage all workers to map out the skills pathway together with their supervisors and employers. It does not have to be made in leaps and bounds.”
Workers above the age of 40 make up 63.1 per cent of local workers in logistics in 2019 and those above 55 make up 27.5 per cent.
“You can consider small and measured steps because these small and measured steps also signify good progress. So for instance, warehouse assistants or storekeepers who used to manually handle warehouse items and stocktake the items can start by learning to use the automated storage retrieval systems and autonomous robotic systems … and also learn to use smart inventory counting solutions to conduct inventory checks and stock picks,” said Dr Tan. “The next step would then be to learn how to troubleshoot these systems and subsequently oversee the setup configuration as well as the customisation of these systems.”
ST Logistics for instance, has, in addition to automating their processes, tapped on the Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs) by WSG to equip 38 workers with skills to take on new tasks over the last 2 years.
ST Logistics’ CEO Loganathan Ramasamy said: “While we put in money to upgrade our facilities and systems and bring autonomous systems, it’s equally or more important to make sure that our workforce is equally ready to use this technology to enhance productivity. I think that is a critical focus of the company.”
As of September 2021, close to 650 workers from 226 companies have tapped on the various CCPs to support new hires and redeploy existing workers to take on new roles.
Roles that may potentially be disrupted generally deal in transactional tasks, which are manual, labour-intensive and repetitive. Examples include material handling equipment operator and warehouse assistant roles, as I4.0 solutions significantly reduce the need for manual sorting, routing, loading and unloading of cargo items.
Meanwhile, existing job roles such as freight inspector, import/export specialist, transport executive/manager, inventory management manager and vertical product manager, will be augmented by technology. Workers in these roles will also be required to oversee, customise and manage I4.0 solutions.
Separately, new roles that were traditionally not found in the logistics sector are beginning to emerge with technology adoption. These include data analysis and data management roles; software development job roles; and digitalisation and automation job roles.
Another example of a company that has leveraged I4.0 technology is food distributor and cold chain logistics provider Lim Siang Huat (LSH).
With ESG’s Enterprise Development Grant, LSH rolled out a goods-to-man loose picking automated storage and retrieval system which is integrated with its warehouse management system and pick-to-light system. Their picking accuracy has since gone up to 99.9 per cent and warehouse operators see time savings of 50 per cent for each job order.
In the longer-run, logistics companies need to embrace I4.0 technology transformations so that they can move towards customer-centricity, build agile and resilient supply chains, and innovate, noted the JSR.
Businesses will have to simultaneously build on their technology and workforce capabilities in order to transform effectively.
Other initiatives logistics companies can consider tapping on include the Industry 4.0 Human Capital Initiative by WSG and the Singapore Business Federation, and the Support for Job Redesign under Productivity Solutions Grant by WSG. Employers with Company Training Committees can also partner NTUC to develop their customised business transformation plan through the Operation & Technology Roadmap process.
Source: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/half-of-all-logistics-sector-jobs-to-change-or-be-displaced-with-industry-40