Will technology or humanity be the great leveller?

SINGAPORE (Oct 15): On the face of it, people with the right technology skills seem to have it made in our brave new world of automation and artificial intelligence.

There is even some empirical evidence of this. According to a report published last month by the ASEAN+3 ­Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), highly skilled workers experienced the fastest-growing wage gains since 2007, while wages of low- and medium-skilled workers barely budged. The report was based on a study that examines the impact of technology on monthly wages and productivity gains in Singapore.

The survey also showed that the number of highly skilled workers resident in Singapore has increased significantly over the last three decades, while the number of low- and medium-skilled workers remained stagnant. Essentially, there are more and more highly skilled, highly paid workers in Singapore, whereas the number of lower-skilled, lower-paid workers remain more or less the same.

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