Strengthening the labour force participation of older persons in the context of digital transformation and the fourth industrial revolution - insights from the Asia-Pacific region | 국외연구자료

KDI 경제교육·정보센터

Economic Information and Education Center

최신자료

Strengthening the labour force participation of older persons in the context of digital transformation and the fourth industrial revolution - insights from the Asia-Pacific region

UNESCAP

2024.12.06

원문보기

The Asian and Pacific region is undergoing dramatic changes, with profound impacts on the lives of older persons. Digital transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), for example, are transforming economies in the region (ESCAP, 2022a). 4IR describes a set of highly disruptive technologies that are impacting social, economic and political systems (WEF and ADB, 2017). These technologies include artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, blockchain and 3D printing; they offer much promise to automate physical and cognitive tasks, as well as raise the productive capacity of countries in the region (ESCAP, 2022a; Gorski et al., 2023). In convergence with these technological changes, a long-term demographic shift is taking place. Declining fertility rates and increasing life expectancy at birth are resulting in a rising proportion of populations aged 65 or older (ESCAP, 2023a). This demographic shift is producing a variety of opportunities, including increased longevity of the population, sharing of knowledge and experiences of older persons, and opportunities for closer intergenerational relations, as well as challenges, such as how to support and take care of the growing older population, and how to address a shrinking tax base (ESCAP, 2022b). Crucially, countries in the region must address the prospect of a shrinking labour force as the proportion of persons of a working age declines. The response of several countries is to raise the retirement age and introduce various programmes to help prolong the working lives of older workers. However, while digital transformation and 4IR present much promise in terms of addressing the challenges
of ageing populations, they also pose new challenges for labour force participation. Technological changes
driven by 4IR may expose older workers to job losses and potentially make it difficult for older persons to
find re-employment (ESCAP, 2022c; Zlatanovi？ and Jovanovi？, 2023). To empower older workers through
greater labou

목록보기