FOOD TRENDS
What is the future of work in the
Australian and New Zealand
food and beverage industries?
It has rapidly evolved to meet
consumer demands and is
now the leading manufacturing
industry in Australia and New
Zealand. If we look back 10-
20 years ago, we wouldn’t have
imagined the variety of fresh produce
and healthy pre-packaged meals
we’re now accustomed to seeing.
Likewise, back then, ERP didn’t play
as much of a role in helping food and
beverage manufacturers streamline
and efficiently manage their supply
chain. The software has become
more integrated, easier to use, it
now has interchangeable modules,
open architecture and cross-platform
usability, which makes collecting and
analysing real-time data easier.
The Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development
(OECD) recently released The
OECD Employment Outlook 2019,
The Future of Work report. The
report says this era where rapid
digitalisation causes disruption, sees
new technologies become ‘game
changers’.
The report estimates 14% of existing
jobs could disappear over the
next 15 to 20 years, and 32% are
likely to change radically. Among
the OECD’s 34-member countries
Australia has one of the highest
rates of casual workers and has
had one of the largest increases in
underemployment across OECD
countries since 2007. In New
Zealand, an estimated 33% of
manufacturing jobs are at high risk
of automation or significant change.
Whilst the report states technology
displaces workers, historically long
term changes have been positive as
there are various channels through
Just like the types
of meals we eat,
more UberEATS
and HelloFresh and
fewer home prepared
meals, the Australian
and New Zealand
food and beverage
(F&B) industries
have experienced a
quantum shift.
By Rob Stummer, CEO, Syspro Australasia¸
"In New Zealand, an estimated 33% of manufacturing jobs
are at high risk of automation or significant change."
COVER STORY
10 JULY 2019