Call to update industry

Press, 26 November 1979, Page 14

Call to update industry

PA Auckland Unemployment will continue to increase unless New Zealand modernises its industry, says the Institution of Engineers. The chairman of the institution’s committee of the future (Mr S. Jenkins) urged industry to act boldly in adopting modern electronic technology to improve the economy. The changes were essential if New Zealand was to provide jobs for the growing labour force of the 1980 s, he said. There has been too much negative thinking on the effects of computer technologies on employment opportunities, said Mr Jenkins.

“However, careful use of the technologies improves productivity, giving rise to increased exports and better employment opportunities.' he said. The institution has been looking at some of the problems surrounding the technological changes. “A major effort will be needed to retrain and redeploy workers,” said Mr Jenkins. “However, it is expected that the speed of : change will not be as great as some people have predicted and the problems will not be catastrophic.” A report by the Treasury earlier this year prericted 200,000 unemployed by 1983 if growth trends

in the economy continued, he said. He said that the Treasury report was widely misquoted as saying automation would be a rnaior factor in causing unemployment. That was incorrect. “In fact, automation and electronic technology may be one of the few solutions to the problem," said Mr Jenkins.