Job Losses in Barclays in Cardiff

Part of 4. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:42 pm on 20 June 2018.

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Photo of Ken Skates Ken Skates Labour 3:42, 20 June 2018

Can I thank David Melding for his questions and also welcome his astute observations and wise opinion regarding this sector? In the coming years, industry commentators predict that technological disruption will lead to, yes, a reduction in lower-skilled jobs, but actually an increase in higher-quality jobs that are demanding higher levels of skills and commanding higher wages right across the UK. As I said earlier, this could see, and should see, a reshoring of jobs that were lost abroad. What we will also see is a greater focus within the sector on retraining and reskilling people in order to take advantage of those higher-salaried jobs that require new and additional skills, particularly in the fields of data science, cyber security, artificial intelligence and behavioural science as well—incredibly exciting areas of activity. For that reason, we developed the economic action plan with a specific call to action to drive investment in innovation, to ensure that businesses are future-proofed and embrace the industries of tomorrow. As a consequence of publishing that economic action plan we are now well positioned to be able to take full advantage of the development of new, higher-quality jobs within the sector. 

Meanwhile, David Melding is absolutely right that we need to work very closely with the Welsh Contact Centre Forum, who have proven to be invaluable in identifying other jobs for people who lost their employment at Tesco and who face the prospect of losing their jobs at Virgin. We work incredibly closely with the contact centre forum. I'll be calling on Barclays, when I speak with them on Friday, to allow not just representatives of the forum into the business in Cardiff, but also Welsh Government officials and representatives of those bodies who are able to provide employment advice. Also, given that many people will be facing the prospect of losing their current jobs, there will be anxious people, so I wish to see Barclays open the doors to practitioners in particularly mental health, who will be able to provide support during what will be a very insecure period.