The impact of industry 4.0 and digitalization on the labour market

Abstract

The focus of the research is to analyse the impact of the ongoing, unstoppable Industry 4.0 on the labour market, specifically from the perspective of white- and blue-collar workers, through a review of the literature. The relevance of presenting the theoretical background is provided by the changing labour market requirements that can be observed in the change of work contents and consequently in the transformation of competence and skill requirements. The research and literature review shows that white-collar workers appear to be more optimistic and open to the changes introduced by Industry 4.0, while blue-collar workers are less familiar with new technologies and find it more difficult to adapt to innovations; on the other hand, many intellectual activities can be automated by machines or software.