The new world of work : emergence of new-collar skills in Africa

The ways in which we work, and the skills required to do so have been continuously evolving since the advent of the Industrial Revolution. This is more evident today with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the advent of the machine age and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. This development is causing anxiety about the sweeping impact of technology on employment, and there is fear that Africa may be left behind as it has yet to fully adopt previous technologies. This study employed mixed methods and a training intervention to examine over 6600 participants from 10 African countries. It found that a new kind of skill is emerging with the new technological age namely- “The New-Collar Skill”. The study defines the New-Collar Skill and finds that it has a positive effect on increasing employability and participation in digital entrepreneurship and online outsourcing in Africa. This effect can be achieved through the focussed application of the New-Collar Skill Employability Quotient, NCEmQ, which assesses the skills and attributes of the candidate and identifies the skill gaps needed to be proficient to a level where there is a higher probability of being employed