What Industry 4.0 means to Singapore and why its workers must upskill and lose their sense of entitlement

There is no room for complacency in the modern workplace, and Singapore – one of Asia’s most competitive economies – should take note, industry leaders say, as artificial intelligence and automation transform the way companies operate.

The fourth industrial revolution or “Industry 4.0”, as the digital makeover has come to be known, requires workers to master new skills ranging from using complex technology platforms to different ways of working and interacting with colleagues, in order for them to remain employable, they say.

Singaporean politician Patrick Tay Teck Guan told Ted.com last month that the country needed to redesign its jobs and upskill employees to take on these new roles.

“Everyone has to play a role in this – the worker, the employer, the government and, in the greater scheme of things, society itself,” said Tay, who is tasked with helping Singapore to introduce creative ways to manage career resilience. 

In the World Economic Forum’s latest Global Competitiveness Report, released in September, Singapore slipped in its rankings on innovation and sophistication, two major drivers of economic success in today’s technology-driven world.

Lower rankings in these areas may not be a sign that the city state has gone backwards, but they could indicate that other countries are seizing the initiative to modernise.