International Relations Newsletter 14 CONTENT 1 Marang editorial 2 The future of jobs 3 Joburg befriends likeminded Pakistan 4 African local governments adopt the new “future of work” principle 5 C40 network pledges to make Joburg carbon neutral 6 Cities encouraged to consider low carbon projects 7 Resilient food systems for the poor 8 Makhubo hosts EU Diplomatic Corps 9 Is digitalisation de-Africanising African public diplomacy? A philosophical reflection 10 Covid-19 crisis calls for sustainable urban planning 11 Synergistic relations forged with India 12 Joburg hopes to pioneer District Development Model 13 Joburg shares knowledge on Inner-City rejuvenation 14 Makhubo calls for sustainable solutions to Covid-19, Climate change crisis 15 Johannesburg edges closer to carbon neutrality 2 EDITORIAL EDITORIAL TEAM Dear Readers, The African Union (AU) projects that 20 million jobs are at risk on the Editor Benji Seitlhamo continent in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, with at least 2 million of [email protected] those in South Africa’s Gauteng province, home to Johannesburg. This Sub Editor Lesego Ngobeni edition of Marang focuses on the ‘Future of Work,’ with an excerpt from [email protected] the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report for 2020, which maps Designer Vunwe Nkonyani the jobs and skills of the future by tracking the pace of socio-economic change. Publisher City of Johannesburg The C40 network contends that cities the world over should consider Metropolitan Municipality promoting the creation of jobs that support low-carbon economy SAPPI Building initiatives. It has since pledged to help the City extend the development 2nd Floor, West Wing and roll-out of its municipal Climate Action Plan. Balancing long-term 48 Ameshof Street economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and the renewal of Braamfontein the City’s environmental agenda may ensure economic growth while P O Box 1049 mitigating climate change. Johannesburg South Africa The Executive Mayor of Joburg, Geoff Makhubo writes that the Covid-19 2000 lockdown laid bare the complexities of food insecurity facing residents of the City. Stalled supply chain processes and closed borders during Tel: +27 (0) 11 407 7530 the lockdown worsened the crisis. Makhubo’s account of this reality is www.joburg.org.za on page 4. This edition also profiles the use, impact and challenge of digital culture for African diplomats, arguing that it is conceived primordially or structured to thrive only in western social systems. Benji Seitlhamo and Lesego Ngobeni – Editorial board International Relations Unit Team • Jan Erasmus, Director: Strategy & International Relations We hope you enjoy the read! • Thusani Rubadiri, Deputy Director: International Relations and Networking • Simphiwe Mdingi, Deputy Director: Protocol • Benji Seitlhamo, Specialist: International Relations and Networking 3 THE FUTURE OF JOBS The Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown and related – Automation, in tandem with the Covid-19 recession recession have created a highly uncertain outlook for the is creating a ‘double-disruption’ scenario for workers. labour market and accelerated the arrival of the future In addition to the current disruption from the pandemic- of work. The Future of Jobs Report 2020 sheds light on 1) induced lockdown and economic contraction, technological the pandemic-related disruptions, contextualised within adoption by companies will transform tasks, jobs and a longer history of economic cycles, and 2) the expected skills by 2025. Forty-three percent of businesses surveyed outlook for technology adoption, jobs and skills in the next indicate that they are set to reduce their workforce due to five years. technology integration, 41 percent plan to expand their use of contractors for task-specialised work, and 34 Despite a high degree of uncertainty, the report uses percent plan to expand their workforce due to technology a unique combination of qualitative and quantitative intelligence to expand the knowledge base about the future integration. of jobs and skills. It aggregates the views of business – Although the number of jobs destroyed will be leaders — chief executives, chief strategy officers and surpassed by the number of ‘jobs of tomorrow’ created, chief human resource officers — on the frontlines of in contrast to previous years, job creation is slowing while decision-making regarding human capital. The report also job destruction accelerates. Employers expect that by provides in-depth information for 15 industry sectors and 2025, increasingly redundant roles will decline from being 26 advanced and emerging countries. 15.4 percent of the workforce to 9 percent (6.4 percent The report’s key findings include: decline) and that emerging professions will grow from 7.8 – The pace of technology adoption is expected to remain percent to 13.5 percent (5.7 percent growth) of the total unabated and may accelerate in some areas. The adoption employee base of company respondents. Based on these of cloud computing, big data and e-commerce remain figures, it is estimated that by 2025, 85 million jobs may high priorities for business leaders, following a trend be displaced by a shift in the division of labour between established in previous years. However, there has also been humans and machines. About 97 million new roles may a significant rise in interest for encryption, non-humanoid emerge that are more adapted to the new division of labour robots and artificial intelligence. between humans, machines and algorithms. 4 – Skills gaps continue to be high as in-demand skills – Despite the current economic downturn, most employers across jobs change in the next five years. The top recognise the value of human capital investment. An skills and skill groups which employers see as rising in average of 66 percent of employers surveyed expect to get prominence in the lead up to 2025 include groups such as a return on investment in up-skilling and reskilling within critical thinking and analysis as well as problem-solving, one year. However, this time horizon risks being too long and skills in self-management such as active learning, for many employers in the context of the current economic resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility. shock, and nearly 17 percent remain uncertain on having any return on their investment. – The future of work has already arrived for a large majority of the online white-collar workforce. Eighty-four – Companies need to invest in better metrics of human percent of employers are set to rapidly digitalise working and social capital through the adoption of environmental, processes, including a significant expansion of remote social and governance (ESG) metrics and matched with work—with the potential to move 44 percent of their renewed measures of human capital accounting. A workforce to operate remotely. significant number of business leaders understand that reskilling employees, particularly in industry coalitions – In the absence of proactive efforts, inequality is likely to and in public-private collaborations is both cost-effective be exacerbated by the dual impact of technology and the and has significant mid- to long-term dividends — not only pandemic recession. Jobs held by lower-wage workers, for their enterprise but also for the benefit of society more women and younger workers were more deeply impacted broadly. Companies hope to internally redeploy nearly 50 in the first phase of the economic contraction. percent of workers displaced by technological automation – Online learning and training are on the rise but looks and augmentation, as opposed to making wider use of different for those in employment and those who are layoffs and automation-based labour savings as a core unemployed. There has been a four-fold increase in workforce strategy. the numbers of individuals seeking out opportunities – The public sector needs to provide stronger support for for learning online through their own initiative, a five- reskilling and up-skilling for at-risk or displaced workers. fold increase in employer provision of online learning Only 21 percent of businesses report being able to make opportunities to their workers and a nine-fold enrolment use of public funds to support their employees through increase for learners accessing online learning through reskilling and up-skilling. The public sector will need to government programmes. create incentives for investments in the markets and jobs – The window of opportunity to reskill and upskill of tomorrow; provide stronger safety nets for displaced workers has become shorter in the newly constrained workers during job transitions, and to tackle long-delayed labour market. This applies to workers who are likely to improvements to education and training systems. (Source: stay in their roles as well as those who risk losing their World Economic Forum, November 2020). roles due to rising recession-related unemployment and can no longer expect to retrain at work. (Source: World Economic Forum, November 2020). Joburg befriends likeminded Pakistan The Executive Mayor of Joburg, Geoff Makhubo has a courtesy call with the Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan, His Excellency Adnan Javaid to explore synergistic relations. 5 African local governments adopt the new “future of work” principle for entrepreneurship and sustainable enterprises, in particular micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as cooperatives and the social and solidarity economy, in order to generate decent work, productive employment and improved living