President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday that they were seeking to "read the change and manage it well” as the world was going through a transformation in the age of artificial intelligence and robotics.
The Turkish leader was speaking at the OECD Skills summit in Ankara. The summit is hosted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and was attended by representatives of agencies and governments from dozens of countries. It focused on the impact of artificial intelligence and related developments on the workforce, skills that will be required in employment in the future and adapting education systems to these changes.
The president said that it was clear that the pace of transformation cannot be changed or prevented, but the decision-makers can shape it. "We see major changes in employment in particular. The technological developments transform methods of production, evolve occupations. Some jobs disappear while others emerge,” he said. Erdoğan stated that the summit was significant and hoped that it would contribute to shaping the global skills policies. "The international studies demonstrate that population of working age in most of OECD countries is shrinking. Our population is aging and our labor markets face new pressures, new challenges. Digital and green transformation radically change the features of skill demands. Labor demand inevitably drops in some sectors while there is a shortage in finding employees in new fields of employment,” he said. "This is also experienced by our country. Widespread use of artificial intelligence and robotics technologies bring about new opportunities, along with new concerns,” he said.
He noted that education is a priority in this new process. "Knowledge is one of the greatest resources for a country, a company or an individual. The outdated knowledge, however, is a burden. It is essential to process knowledge, to transform it as much as having it. So, the education, with all its components, should adapt to the pace of change,” he said. Erdoğan pointed out that OECD surveys indicated that students’ basic skills in many countries were in decline and the teaching workforce was aging. "We are no longer living in an era where education starts at school and ends with obtaining a diploma. Education is now a lifelong dynamic process,” he said. Erdoğan also noted that the world population was aging and this meant that people would spend more time in the workforce compared to the past decades. "Add this extreme individualization and dissolution of traditional family structure as well as selfishness and we face a serious situation,” he warned.
Erdoğan stated that on this matter, Türkiye was ahead of many countries, pointing out to strong family ties and a culture of charity and solidarity. He added that his government was strengthening the family with new projects and keeping everyone covered with the world’s most comprehensive social security system.
The president said they also concentrated on the education of adults. "Updating the skills of adults, giving them skills in new fields and helping them to adapt to the change is critical. Flexible education models, career guidance mechanisms and efficient collaborations with employers will be defining factors in labor markets. Lifelong learning will also boost countries’ competitive edge,” he said. Erdoğan said discrimination in the workforce meant the absence of a fair order and noted that Türkiye managed to improve women’s participation in the workforce to that extent. "This rate was 27.9% when our governments came to power and it has now risen to 34.7,” he underlined. He said they removed all barriers women faced in participation in social life, the economy and education. In this context, he referred to a new benefit for women that Parliament recently approved by increasing maternity leave to 24 weeks for working mothers.