In October last year, the Alibaba group debuted an unmanned smart petrol station back in Hangzhou, China. Payment is deducted from an Alipay or Taobao account. This petrol station reduces staff headcount to effectively zero, with the use of robotics and mobile technologies.
A fully (functional) cashless economy is only at its nascent stages of development, and it commonly runs concurrently with other growing technologies such as AI, robotics, digitalisation etc. Workers who receive tips as part of their income, such as tour guides and hospitality workers, as well as workers who are paid upfront, such as tuition teachers or weekend household cleaners, will be affected by this change.
If the conversion to a cashless society is part of the journey to a smart nation, a segment of workers will be surely be affected. What can the Labour Movement do to identify these workers and help mitigate the effects of this transition? Which industries will most likely be affected when cashless transactions and new technologies redefine operations?
