Manufacturing is at the forefront of the emerging Fourth Industrial Revolution, which will forever change the job market in the industry, but not in the ways that one might suspect. The “Industrial Revolution” is often the subject of previous centuries in history textbooks, but it describes cultural and technological movements that continue to shape our world.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as “Industry 4.0” and “4IR”, has already begun, with technology growing more and more integrated into humans’ everyday lives. Industry 4.0 includes new and emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, and genetic engineering.
The manufacturing industry is one of the largest in the United States and is anticipated to see extensive change resulting from Industry 4.0. New technologies are already helping the industry become more efficient, productive, and profitable, driving growth. While some fear that robots will take over the job market, the scene is actually quite optimistic in manufacturing.
The effects of Industry 4.0
Industry 4.0 has seen the rise of automation and the use of robotics for repetitive jobs that were previously done by humans. Many are suspicious that these changes, focused on efficiency over employment, will make the job market scarce for people will minimum education and skills, worsening inequity. However, it is important to remember what robotics can and can’t do.
It is anticipated that the jobs that consist of repetitive, physical tasks will be the primary category that is phased out or eliminated in coming years. Robots aren’t capable of deep knowledge or understanding emotion and communication on a human level. For the foreseeable future, jobs that require social skills or robust cognitive abilities will continue to be filled by humans and humans alone.
For years, the manufacturing industry has had millions of unfilled positions every year. If these jobs could be easily filled by a robot, they would have been already. The industry is in need of new employees. So, even if robotics and automation were to eliminate some manual labor positions, there is still significant opportunity in the industry. It will simply require a reorienting of manufacturing’s employment landscape.
The manufacturing skills gap
A big topic in the manufacturing job market is the skills gap. The jobs at the lowest rung of the industry, primarily manual labor positions, are filled. The jobs at the top rung of the industry, management as well as jobs requiring advanced education, are filled. The middle section, though, consisting of jobs requiring technical skills, remains largely unfilled. This is likely the explanation for the millions of unfilled positions industry-wide. It is also manufacturing’s future-proofing solution to Industry 4.0.
What many analysts are in agreement on is the rise of technical jobs alongside the decrease of manual labor jobs. This applies to all industries, manufacturing included. People will be needed to help design, build, program, and maintain the robots running assembly lines and factories. Skilled technicians will be in high demand as the world moves to mass-produce new technologies, such as renewable energy methods like solar and wind power. With advancements in nanotechnology, the microelectronics industry will only continue to grow.
The demand for technical jobs requiring more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree will be at the center of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The manufacturing skills gap is the room-to-grow for the industry, allowing it to increase automation without laying off employees. The industry will have to shift its focus to training former manual labor employees to take on these new technical positions. Some employees are already using second-shift positions to get more on-the-job learning opportunities. Making technical education affordable and accessible to more of the population will be critical for not only ensuring equity but also filling the labor shortage in manufacturing.
This education shift is already beginning. For example, coding is becoming a more accessible career field because fewer employers are requiring a four-year degree. Instead, people can use online education tools or coding boot camps, which cost a fraction of the price of a college degree and take only a few months to complete. Similar quick and affordable education solutions will be needed to transition manual labor jobs to technical jobs, which benefits individuals as well as organizations. These new technical jobs are anticipated to be more engaging and fulfilling than repetitive labor positions.
The new entry level
The manufacturing industry is very desirable for employees, with an average salary of over $88,000 a year and activity that reached a 37-year high in March 2021. It is common knowledge and practice that jobs requiring more technical knowledge or education will be rewarded with higher pay. So, one highly beneficial result of Industry 4.0 could be higher wages for entry-level positions in manufacturing, since the new entry-level will include basic technical jobs.
With the industry growing so much in recent years, meeting this demand for higher salaries won’t be a problem, either. The increase in pay alongside rewarding educational opportunities will make manufacturing even more desirable, attracting more talented, enthusiastic workers and fueling a productivity boom that could increase revenue even further.
Manufacturing is a booming industry, and Industry 4.0 is only going to generate more growth and better opportunities. Manufacturing jobs may be on the path to becoming more technical, but employees will benefit from accessible technical education and higher pay, while organizations create a more productive and rewarding workforce.
The use of technology in the industry will continue to increase, but rather than deleting jobs, it will create entirely new ones that manufacturing companies are already searching for. As the industry looks to the future, there has never been a better time to pursue a career in manufacturing!
About the Author:
Emily Newton is the Editor-in-Chief of Revolutionized, an online magazine showing how technology is innovating different industries.
Utekelezaji wa viwanda ni sehemu ya kwanza ya mapinduzi ya viwanda ya nne, ambayo itabadilisha soko la kazi katika sekta ya viwanda, lakini si kwa njia ambayo mtu anaweza kudhani. "Mapinduzi ya Viwanda" mara nyingi ni mada ya karne zilizopita katika vitabu vya historia, lakini inaelezea harakati za kitamaduni na kiteknolojia ambazo zinaendelea kuunda ulimwengu wetu. Mapinduzi ya nne ya viwanda, pia inajulikana kama Viwanda 4.0 na 4IR, tayari imeanza, na teknolojia inakua zaidi na zaidi iliyounganishwa katika maisha ya kila siku ya wanadamu. "Tengenezo 4.0 linajumuisha teknolojia mpya na zinazoibuka kama vile ""Internet of Things,"" ""nanoteknolojia,"" ""akili bandia,"" ""robotics ya hali ya juu"" na ""uhandisi wa maumbile.""" Sekta ya viwanda ni moja ya kubwa zaidi nchini Marekani na inatarajiwa kuona mabadiliko makubwa kutokana na Viwanda 4.0. Teknolojia mpya tayari zinasaidia sekta hiyo kuwa na ufanisi zaidi, uzalishaji, na faida, kuendesha ukuaji. Ingawa wengine wanaogopa kwamba roboti zitachukua nafasi ya kazi, hali ni nzuri sana katika viwanda. Utaratibu wa viwanda 4.0 unaonyesha kuongezeka kwa automatisering na matumizi ya roboti kwa kazi za kurudia ambazo hapo awali zilifanywa na wanadamu. Wengi wanashuku kwamba mabadiliko haya, yaliyozingatia ufanisi juu ya ajira, yatasababisha soko la kazi kuwa dogo kwa watu ambao watakuwa na elimu na ujuzi wa chini, na kuharibu usawa. Hata hivyo, ni muhimu kukumbuka nini roboti inaweza na haiwezi kufanya. Inatarajiwa kwamba kazi zinazohusisha kazi za kurudia-rudia, za kimwili zitakuwa jamii ya msingi ambayo itapunguzwa au kuondolewa katika miaka ijayo. Roboti haziwezi kuwa na maarifa ya kina au kuelewa hisia na mawasiliano katika kiwango cha binadamu. Katika siku zijazo, kazi zinazohitaji ujuzi wa kijamii au uwezo mkubwa wa utambuzi zitaendelea kujazwa na wanadamu na wanadamu peke yao. Kwa miaka mingi, sekta ya utengenezaji imekuwa na mamilioni ya nafasi zisizojengwa kila mwaka. Ikiwa kazi hizi zingeweza kujazwa kwa urahisi na roboti, zingekuwa tayari zimefanywa. Sekta hiyo inahitaji wafanyakazi wapya. Hata kama roboti na automatisering inaweza kuondoa baadhi ya kazi za mikono, bado kuna fursa kubwa katika sekta hiyo. Itahitaji tu reorientation ya tasnia ya uzalishaji ya ajira mazingira. Upungufu wa ujuzi wa utengenezaji Mada kubwa katika soko la kazi la utengenezaji ni upungufu wa ujuzi. Kazi za ngazi ya chini zaidi ya sekta hiyo, hasa kazi za mikono, zimejazwa. Kazi katika ngazi ya juu ya sekta hiyo, usimamizi pamoja na kazi zinazohitaji elimu ya juu, zimejazwa. Sehemu ya kati, ingawa, inayojumuisha kazi zinazohitaji ujuzi wa kiufundi, bado haijashughulikiwa sana. Hii ni uwezekano wa ufafanuzi kwa mamilioni ya nafasi unfilled sekta nzima. Hii ni moja ya sababu za kuvutia za maendeleo ya viwanda vya kisasa katika sekta ya viwanda 4.0. Wataalamu wengi wanakubaliana kwamba kuna ongezeko la kazi za kiufundi pamoja na kupungua kwa kazi za mikono. Hii inatumika kwa viwanda vyote, viwanda pamoja. Watu watahitajika ili kusaidia kubuni, kujenga, kupanga programu, na kudumisha roboti zinazofanya kazi kwenye mistari ya kukusanya na viwanda. Wataalamu wa teknolojia watakuwa na mahitaji makubwa wakati ulimwengu unapoendelea kuzalisha teknolojia mpya, kama vile mbinu za nishati mbadala kama vile nishati ya jua na upepo. Pamoja na maendeleo katika nanoteknolojia, sekta ya microelectronics tu kuendelea kukua. Mahitaji ya kazi za kiufundi zinazohitaji zaidi ya diploma ya shule ya sekondari lakini chini ya digrii ya miaka minne itakuwa katikati ya Mapinduzi ya Nne ya Viwanda. Upungufu wa ujuzi wa utengenezaji ni chumba cha kukua kwa sekta hiyo, ikiruhusu kuongeza automatisering bila kuondoa wafanyakazi. Sekta hiyo italazimika kuelekeza fikira zake kwenye kufundisha wafanyakazi wa zamani wa kazi ya mikono kuchukua nafasi hizi mpya za kiufundi. Baadhi ya wafanyakazi tayari wanatumia nafasi za zamu ya pili ili kupata fursa zaidi za kujifunza kazini. Kufanya elimu ya kiufundi iwe ya bei nafuu na kupatikana kwa idadi kubwa ya watu itakuwa muhimu kwa kuhakikisha usawa tu lakini pia kujaza upungufu wa kazi katika utengenezaji. Mabadiliko haya ya elimu tayari yameanza. Kwa mfano, coding inakuwa uwanja wa kazi unaopatikana zaidi kwa sababu waajiri wachache wanahitaji shahada ya miaka minne. Badala yake, watu wanaweza kutumia zana za elimu mtandaoni au kambi za boot coding, ambazo zinagharimu sehemu ndogo ya bei ya shahada ya chuo kikuu na kuchukua miezi michache tu kukamilisha. Suluhisho kama hizo za haraka na za bei nafuu za elimu zitahitajika kuhamisha kazi za kazi ya mikono kwa kazi za kiufundi, ambazo zinafaidi watu binafsi na mashirika. Kazi hizi mpya za kiufundi zinatarajiwa kuwa zenye kuvutia na zenye kuridhisha zaidi kuliko nafasi za kazi za kurudia-rudia. Viwanda vya utengenezaji ni maarufu kwa wafanyikazi, na mshahara wa wastani wa zaidi ya $ 88,000 kwa mwaka na shughuli ambayo ilifikia kiwango cha juu cha miaka 37 mnamo Machi 2021. Ni maarifa ya kawaida na mazoezi kwamba kazi zinazohitaji maarifa zaidi ya kiufundi au elimu zitapewa thawabu ya mshahara wa juu. Kwa hivyo, moja ya matokeo mazuri ya Viwanda 4.0 inaweza kuwa mishahara ya juu kwa nafasi za kiwango cha kuingia katika utengenezaji, kwani kiwango kipya cha kuingia kitajumuisha kazi za msingi za kiufundi. Kwa kuwa sekta hiyo imekua sana katika miaka ya hivi karibuni, kukidhi mahitaji haya ya mishahara ya juu haitakuwa tatizo, pia. Ongezeko la mshahara pamoja na fursa za elimu zitazifanya viwanda kuwa vya kutamaniwa zaidi, kuvutia wafanyikazi wenye talanta zaidi na wenye shauku na kuchochea ukuaji wa uzalishaji ambao unaweza kuongeza mapato zaidi. Viwanda vya viwanda ni viwanda vya kuvutia, na viwanda vya 4.0 vinaweza kuunda ukuaji zaidi na fursa bora. Kazi za utengenezaji zinaweza kuwa kwenye njia ya kuwa za kiufundi zaidi, lakini wafanyikazi watafaidika na elimu ya kiufundi inayopatikana na mshahara wa juu, wakati mashirika yanaunda nguvu za kazi zinazozalisha zaidi na zenye faida. """Utekelezaji wa teknolojia katika sekta ya viwanda utaendelea kuongezeka, lakini badala ya kuondoa kazi, itaunda mpya kabisa ambazo makampuni ya utengenezaji tayari yanatafuta." Kadiri sekta hiyo inavyotazama wakati ujao, hakuna wakati bora zaidi wa kufuatia kazi katika utengenezaji! Emily Newton ni Mhariri Mkuu wa Revolutionized, jarida la mtandaoni linaloonyesha jinsi teknolojia inavyofanya ubunifu katika viwanda tofauti.