Asian workers pushed to upskill as pandemic quickens digital shift

By 2025, some 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift to machines, while 97 million new roles related to machines and algorithms may emerge, WEF noted. — Business man laptop photo created by rawpixel.com - www.freepik.com

Jaya Latchmi Mutusammy had worked several years in customer service and finance in Singapore, when caring for her ailing parents and demand for healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic led her to change track, with help from the government.

Mutusammy, 47, is among tens of thousands who have tapped the city-state’s SkillsFuture Singapore programme, an education and training initiative for adults that has been rejigged to prepare workers for the pandemic environment.