Senko: Access to education is key to adapting to the digital age

One of the biggest problems in the world today is social inequality. Both between countries and within states. The richest 10 percent of the population have more total income than the other 90 percent. And the digitalization of the economy could exacerbate this problem for a huge number of people. This was stated by the Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus Yuri Senko at the International Strategic Session “Fair Transformation of the Labor Market in the Context of Digital Technologies” held today, October 13 in Minsk, which gathered representatives of national trade union centers and industry trade unions, scientific and expert communities of almost 30 countries in the Belarusian capital.

The inequality of opportunities begins long before entering the labor market, Yuri Senko believes. Available universal basic education, the opportunity to get demanded professions and in the future constantly improve their skills and acquire new skills - this is the basis that allows a person to be competitive and adapt to the transformation of the labor market

- Unfortunately, despite various international programmes and commitments undertaken by governments, approximately one in six children or young people in the world today do not have the opportunity to fully realize their right to education. We believe that access to lifelong education should be a key component of national strategies for adapting to digital transformation in every country.

The head of the national trade union center emphasized:

Belarus has something to share in this regard. We have a multi-level education system that provides educational opportunities from preschool age to vocational training and adult education. Thus, the enrolment of children in preschool education is almost 100%. At the level of general secondary education, affordable, free and quality education is provided. Young people can receive vocational training at various levels, from vocational to higher. There are also programs of advanced training, retraining and development of new professions. We are ready to share this experience and to borrow best practices from other countries. After all, in the conditions of digitalization of the economy, the role of education increases many times – both in the life of an individual and in the development of the country as a whole.

And here it is important to look together not only at today's tasks, but also at the future, the FPB chairman is convinced:

- Think about what professions will be in demand tomorrow, what competencies employees will need, how to prepare people in advance for changes in the labor market. Not waiting for technology to lead to job losses, but to create opportunities in advance for retraining and mastering new professions. It is important to understand that there is no single solution for everyone. We need different programs and approaches for young people, older people, workers whose professions are changing under the influence of technology. An equally important question is how to motivate employees to learn throughout their lives and encourage employers to invest in the development and retraining of their personnel. I am convinced that such a strategic and comprehensive vision should become one of the key areas of our joint work.

Another issue that, in the opinion of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, requires special attention is the provision of decent work in the digital economy for socially vulnerable groups - youth, women, older workers. Yuri Senko observed:

- It is believed that in the conditions of digitalization, young people are in a more advantageous position. They live in a digital environment and are more adaptable to change. But the practice of recent years shows that young people are increasingly facing precarious employment. In addition, artificial intelligence is gradually taking on the tasks that traditionally began a professional career. As a result, it becomes more difficult for young people to get the first work experience, without which further development in the profession is impossible. And today the question arises: who will take the place of experienced workers in ten years if the current generation of young people does not get the opportunity to master the profession in practice?

But older workers have other difficulties: it may be more difficult for them to master new technologies, and the experience of past years in new conditions may simply not be in demand:

- All of these challenges challenge us to find new solutions. How to ensure employment and rapid adaptation in the workplace of young people? What protective mechanisms should be implemented for older people and other vulnerable groups of workers? We also plan to address all these issues during our strategic session. It is important for us to compare the approaches of different countries and discuss what practical solutions allow us to meet these challenges.

The International Strategic Session, which takes place on October 13-14 in Minsk, is aimed at developing new practical mechanisms to protect the interests of workers in the context of the transformation of the labor market in the digital era, the press service of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus told sb.by. The participants will focus on finding coordinated approaches to ensuring decent work, protecting workers’ rights and preserving social guarantees in the context of rapid technological development. Algorithm instead of employer. Senko on the risks of digitalization for employees