2. What would you suggest Fatima do to help the organization and the workers, particularly those who are older, prepare for these impacts? It is estimated that Africa’s working-age population will grow by approximately 450 million people by 2035, and will have 362 million people between the ages of 15 and 24 by 2050. While in the past industry was a main source of employment, the services sector now employs the highest number of young people after agriculture.

In South Africa, a shortage of relevant job skills has become apparent in recent years, contributing to the decline of the public and private sectors. A disconnect between the educational system and the emerging job market has resulted in a significant gap between the number of young people and the limited employment opportunities offering challenging, meaningful work.

In 2018, President Ramaphosa announced a Digital Industrial Revolution Commission to develop strategies for South Africa to take advantage of rapid technological changes in order to meet the demands of globalization and competition with other economies that have already increased their efficiencies in production and services. In addition, there has been a push to provide digital skills to youth as a means of creating not only more employment opportunities, but to also open new avenues for economic growth.