Amsterdam, April 30, 2018 - Last week AmCham welcomed over 130 members at the ABN Amro headquarters for a seminar on ''The Future of Work". This well attended seminar was an initiative from the Board of Directors of AmCham and was hosted by Patron Member ABN Amro.
Director General Social Security and Integration, Mr. Bernard ter Haar opened the seminar with a keynote speech on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. He started his keynote speech with quoting the science fiction writer William Gibson, “The Future is already here. It’s just not very evenly distributed”. Ter Haar shared his view on the opportunities and treats of artificial intelligence. Despite the head start the Netherlands has with a well-educated workforce and a world-class digital infrastructure, he warned the audience that we should not wait too long with implementing robotization. There is a direct link between robotisation and the shift in power. China used to be a low-wage country, but now, labour costs have almost risen to European and American standards. That’s why China is investing heavily in digitization, in industrial robots, and in data as well. This way, they can further expand their share of world GDP. It shows how digitization is not just about technology. It’s also about economic power.
AmCham Board Member and Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company Mr. Jasper van Ouwerkerk presented a study conducted by the McKinsey Global Institute. Automation is not a new phenomenon, and questions about its promise and effects have long accompanied its advances. More than a half century ago, US President Lyndon B. Johnson established a national commission to examine the impact of technology on the economy and employment, declaring that automation did not have to destroy jobs but “can be the ally of our prosperity if we will just look ahead.” Many of the same question have come to the fore again today, as a result of remarkable recent advances in technologies including robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning. Automation now has the potential to change the daily work activities of everyone, from miners and landscape gardeners to commercial bankers, fashion designers, welders - and CEOs.
After both keynote speeches it was time for a panel discussion moderated by Marc ter Haar, Director at EY. He discussed the topic with Abbe Luersman, CHRO at Ahold Delhaize, Wiebke Rieb, Country Manager at Pfizer, Dominique Hermans, Managing Director at Randstad and Jasper van Ouwerkerk, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company.
Please find an overview of all the event pictures here.
AmCham would like to thank all speakers for their contributions and ABN Amro for hosting this event.
