Canadian Government Executive - Volume 26 - Issue 01

T here is no employment sector in Canada that is im- mune to or unaffected by the changing nature of work. Employers and employees alike in the public, private, and third sectors are facing pressures to adapt to a new and evolving work environment. We all see evidence of this transformation in our own workplaces. Positions that used to be mainstays in offices across the country are being phased out. Employees are working with employers and unions to find new, creative paths forward. Unions are fighting to maintain comple- ment while many employees are looking for challenging new opportunities. To the extent that many of the jobs that unions have protected become obsolete, the situation has the potential to create tension between a union’s interests and those of its members. For their part, employers are looking for versatile, skills-oriented, responsive workforces at the same time that they maximize the benefits and opportunities presented by digi- tal technology and artificial intelligence (AI). All the while, the importance of human resources, loyalty, and the relationship of trust between employers and employees should not be under- stated or cast aside. These are complicated times. Much of the conversation around the changing nature of work focuses on the capacity of AI and digital technology to transform the workforce by automating tasks that have traditionally been performed by humans. We face pressing ethical, financial, and existential questions about the benefits and costs of increased automation. There are very few, if any, jobs that can be placed firmly beyond the reach of automation. A report released by the Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Ry- erson University in 2016 stated that, while automation has been thought to be restricted to jobs comprised of manual labour or routine tasks, advances in artificial intelligence have allowed automation to take the place of human decision-making. The “disruptive” nature of the changing workforce is often couched in negative, almost helpless language, as though the The Future of Work… and Workers By Lori Turnbull The LAST WORD Employers are looking for versatile, skills-oriented, responsive workforces at the same time that they maximize the benefits and opportunities presented by digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI). 28 / Canadian Government Executive // January/February 2020