With all the focus on automation, artificial intelligence and digitalization, it’s easy to assume that Industry 4.0 will displace opportunities for human workers in factories, mines, ports and other settings. In truth, while today’s jobs will evolve as Industry 4.0 technologies gain ground, the new skills required of the 4.0 workforce will create new job opportunities. It may also help alleviate labor shortage challenges. These new ways of working in the 4th Industrial Revolution will give rise to streamlined, agile technology-augmented workforces that are safer, happier, healthier and better equipped to perform their jobs while driving new levels of productivity for the businesses who embrace it.
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Offloading the hazardous and harmful
400 metres underground, Finnish nuclear waste disposal utility Posiva is building a sustainable facility in which remotely operated robots will transport hazardous waste through underground tunnels where it will be safely stored for thousands of years.[1] No human needs to work with the waste, helping Posiva keep its employees — and the environment — safe.
That’s just one example of how augmenting a workforce with Industry 4.0 technologies can create more favorable experiences for human workers. Another can be seen in mining, where autonomous dump trucks are on their way to taking over the monotonous work from the human drivers in open-pit mining, with these operations now being performed from a remote operations center at a safe distance from the open pit rather than from the cab of the truck. And in manufacturing, robots are taking on physically strenuous tasks. Exoskeletons and collaborative robots — called “cobots” — can help with or handle heavy lifting tasks. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can, with speed and agility, accurately deliver parts and tools to the skilled workers who need them and also handle potentially dangerous materials, keeping humans out of harm’s way.
These technologies, and many others, not only increase operational efficiency and productivity, they can also help protect the health and well-being of employees — empowering them to stay longer in positions they prefer.
Boosting engagement and productivity while eliminating the mundane
Just as these automated machines can take on the hard and dangerous, so too can they handle the menial and repetitive. In doing so, they free up human workers to focus on work that is more engaging and valuable. Many tasks like end-of-shift clean-up, documentation and tool supply or re-stocking can now be done in an automated fashion. Automated robots can take over time-consuming and redundant tasks, relieving pressure on human workers and supply chain congestion by quickly and safely moving goods and clearing backlogged goods from warehouses and other storage spaces.
Technologies like augmented and virtual reality can also help companies instruct new workers by making on-the-job training and troubleshooting more engaging, shortening ramp-up or downtime periods while improving outcomes.
Better work experiences attract employees
The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a major labor shortage. In Canada, 55% of entrepreneurs report difficulties finding employees while 26% say they had trouble retaining them, and 64% say the labor shortage limited their growth.[2] The UK’s workforce shrunk by 561,000 between 2020 and 2022[3]. And in the U.S., 10.7 million job openings were vacant in June 2022[4].
Technology is critical to dealing with this shortage. Industry 4.0 applications and devices allow companies to do more with less as they look to hire more people. Such technologies can also help attract, recruit and retain needed talent and improve the work environment. According to a study by Dell, 80% of Gen-Z workers wish to work with cutting-edge technologies, and 91% take technology into account when deciding between employers.[5]
Making the augmented workforce a reality
It takes a particular kind of network to support the Industry 4.0 technologies that can augment a workforce: low latency, ultra-fast, robust and reliable. Private wireless networks are essential to connect devices, sensors and technologies on-premises to bring pervasive broadband and mobile flexibility to operations, while fixed connectivity, like optical and IP networks, provide critical connectivity that links individual facilities to larger hubs, corporate data centers or the public cloud.
Ultimately, Industry 4.0 isn’t just about technology. It’s about driving efficiency and profitability while ensuring employees are happier and more productive — no matter the industry, sector or business they’re in. Beyond a modernized network, there are demonstrable benefits to workers from Industry 4.0 workforce augmentation. Automation and robotics aren’t about replacing the workforce, but instead, enhancing it, providing work, life and business benefits to all involved.
