- Women hold more than half of the 35 per cent of Canadian jobs
that face an elevated threat from automation
- However, women are well positioned for the future where digital
and social skills like critical thinking, communication and
problem-solving will be in greater demand
TORONTO, March 5, 2019 /CNW/ - While automation is poised
to disrupt millions of jobs in Canada, women may be better positioned than
men in the labour market of the future, according to a new report
from RBC Economics.
RBC Economics' analysis shows women hold more than half of the
35 per cent of Canadian jobs that face an elevated threat from
automation. However, RBC Economics' view is that despite this
threat, women are in a better position than their male counterparts
to face this disruption. Generalist, digital and social skills –
the skills that women currently use to a greater extent – will be
in high demand for future roles.
"Though many women hold jobs that are at risk of automation,
those jobs have allowed them to hone skills that will be in high
demand in the future," said Dawn
Desjardins, Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist, RBC
Economics.
Women hold 54 per cent of the occupations in Canada that face a high degree of risk to be
automated – that's 3.4 million jobs.
Over the past five years, occupations in which speaking, active
listening, or reading comprehension skills are critical have seen
the largest gains. These jobs have grown almost 50 per cent faster
than overall employment.
One concern remains that women are underrepresented in
management.
"While disruption could find women more prepared than men, women
still see lower representation in some of the best-paying and
least-automatable professions," added Desjardins. "This discrepancy
largely shows up in management occupations, where women's
underrepresentation has created a substantial management skills
gap."
RBC Economics believes smart policies can help women better
identify and match their skills to the jobs of the future. Much of
the reskilling conversation in Canada has focused on the retraining of
workers who fall victim to well publicized plant closures. But many
of the jobs that are under threat - and disproportionately held by
women - disappear in silence.
"To ensure women are well-positioned for the future, we need
better, open-access labour market data that identifies career
pathways based on skills," said Desjardins. "The government's
efforts to create a national digital platform for skills and jobs
information is a first step to help employers link with the workers
they need for the future, and could lessen the time for retraining
in job transitions."
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SOURCE RBC