There is no surprise to anyone that we are living in challenging times. Humankind can sing to COVID-19 “You rock my world”, but this would also apply to something else… In the last years, we see in among newspapers, conferences, and websites the headline “The Arrival of the Industry 4.0”. However, these headlines are no longer updated, the Industry 4.0 is already here! You may not notice it, but it’s all around us in our bank apps, in the automatic cashiers of the corner supermarket, and in the remote work of most of us!
According to World Economic Forum (2020), the combination of the accelerated technology adoption and the COVID-19 recession is creating a double-disruption scenario for the workers, with 43% of the business leaders affirming they will reduce their workforce due to technology integration. Moreover, is expected that in 2025, 85 million jobs start being performed by machines instead of people.
Now, you are probably thinking for yourself that the picture doesn’t good look, right? It’s all a matter of perspective, so let’s shift our view! Yes, Industry 4.0 is here (and will stay) and the machines will become a huge part of our lives, but they will not make us obsolete! According to World Economic Forum research (2020), along with technology, another main issue on the global agenda until 2025 is the skills gap. In this topic, the top skills indicated by the employers are critical thinking, analytical thinking, problem-solving, active learning, resilience, and change adaptability: the soft skills! This group of skills is the unique characteristic of humans, and they cannot be replaced or discharged in any business that wants to be successful! We are irreplaceable and machines are not here to put us in the corner – nobody can put “humans” in the corner – they are here to make shine our best assets!
This shift of tasks and jobs will be disruptive for everyone, but as Charles Darwin mentioned “is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” We will go through this process together and push each other to reskilling and upskilling because only the joined effort will allow us to grow. In the Sky4.0 project, we acknowledge the “power” of soft skills and want to help everyone – employees, future workers, and business leaders – in the aeronautical sector during the process of properly dealing with Industry 4.0, so check our website and join us in taking the next step to the future!
Although the scenario looks cloudy, we encourage you to stay optimistic, because those are the ones who see opportunity in every difficulty (Winston Churchill), and we have in front of us a big opportunity!
References:
World Economic Forum (2020). The Future of Jobs Report 2020. https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2020