Title: Employment in manufacturing in the context of Industry 4.0 concept

Authors: Grażyna Węgrzyn

Addresses: Faculty of Economics and Finance, Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, ul. Komandorska 118/120 53-345, Wrocław, Poland

Abstract: The main aim of the study is to obtain new empirical results regarding the relationship between the employment structure in manufacturing and the degree of industrial robots use. While pursuing the research objective thus formulated, the following hypothesis was put forward: The use of industrial robots reduces the share of young people, especially men, in the total employment in manufacturing. The spatial scope of the analysis covers seven EU member countries, i.e., the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary. The time range covers the years 2011-2018. All the new technologies that make up Industry 4.0 accelerate industry transformation processes, additionally transforming the labour market. The fastest growing market is that for industrial robots which are increasingly used in enterprises and directly affect labour demand. The demand for young people's work only increased in countries that present a low robotisation rate and an outdated structure of manufacturing activity.

Keywords: Industry 4.0; employment: manufacturing; industrial robots; structural changes; jobs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTGM.2023.134916

International Journal of Trade and Global Markets, 2023 Vol.18 No.1, pp.50 - 62

Accepted: 27 Jan 2022
Published online: 20 Nov 2023 *

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