Singapore University of Social Sciences

The disruptions brought about by technological advancements transform the future of work, and impact on the skills needed from the workforce and the modality of work. Through social scientific perspectives (drawing from political science, political economy, labour relations, comparative politics and the study of public policies), this course surveys the shape and needs of Industry 4.0 and the features of digitalized and automated workplaces within the contexts of policymaking (e.g. employment policies and regulations), socio-political leadership, retraining schemes, political economy of industry transformation, industrial actions, the concept of employability, government-private sector (management)-workers/unions relationship (tripartism), etc. Emphasis will be placed on skills training policies (e.g. lifelong learning, SkillsFuture, etc.), Singapore’s transformation in coping with changes (with some global comparisons), emergence of freelancing, changing ideas of the millennial generation and the importance of human capital. This course also outlines the challenges and benefits of the digital revolution, Industry 4.0 and Globalization 2.0. Students will also discuss the opportunities offered by government regulations for coping with the changes.