‘Everyone may have to work but can’t find a job,’ netizen says after Grab CEO suggests drivers could upscale to ‘new kinds of jobs’ ahead of robobus launch

SINGAPORE: Netizens voiced fears of future job losses and unemployment after Grab CEO Anthony Tan suggested that drivers could upscale to “new kinds of jobs” as the company prepares to launch robobuses in Singapore early next year.

“We see new kinds of jobs emerging. For example, drivers could be remote safety drivers, data labellers; they could change LiDARs, cameras, and so forth,” he said.

Mr Tan made the comment during Grab’s quarterly earnings for the three months ending Sept 30, saying the firm would continue building partnerships with global remote driving and autonomous vehicle (AV) leaders, take part in more pilot projects to understand operational conditions for driverless services, and work with regulators to improve transport connectivity, as reported by Fortune.

However, his remarks sparked fears among netizens online.

One netizen said, “I fear for the future. Last time, only the father needed to work to support a family of four. Today, the father and mother need to work to support a family of three. Next time, it might be that everyone in the family wants to work but can’t find a job.”

Some expressed concern about potential job losses as automation grows. A commenter said, “Looks like there will be more job losses in the coming years? I am very cynical that they will need so many ‘remote safety drivers’ or ‘data labellers’,” adding that driving private hire vehicles (PHVs) is the unofficial safety net for people who lost their jobs or need flexibility.

“I wonder what will happen when these jobs are automated,” he added.

Another commented, “When he says ‘upscale’, there’s no really ‘up’. What he’s saying is that those workers will take less essential jobs that assist operations, meaning they’ll either be paid less or outsourced overseas. Might as well upscale to ‘customer’.”

Meanwhile, another remarked that it isn’t the CEO’s concern to bear, but that the government will need to look into whether people will lose their jobs and if they can upscale.

Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow made a similar point in June, saying taxi and PHV drivers’ roles “may change” as Singapore moves to include AVs in its public transport network.

His comment also drew fears at the time, as netizens questioned what would happen to human drivers and raised safety concerns, mentioning reported AV accidents abroad.

Grab ran a successful autonomous vehicle pilot in September with Chinese robotaxi operator WeRide, in which it plans to make a “strategic equity investment” by the first half of next year. In October, the company also invested in US-based May Mobility, an autonomous vehicle provider that began commercial robotaxi rides earlier this year.

In a Q&A with analysts, Mr Tan said these efforts are part of a “long-term strategy to lead the adoption of AV and remote driving across Southeast Asia,” though he noted that lower labour costs in the region could slow the shift to driverless vehicles. /TISG

Read also: WeRide raises S$401M in Hong Kong share sale, Temasek among investors

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