An Inquiry into the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on Employment: A Review

9 Pages Posted: 19 Jan 2019

See all articles by Ishaan Gera

Ishaan Gera

Delhi Technological University

Seema Singh

Delhi Technological University

Date Written: January 6, 2019

Abstract

Labour processes stand on the cusp of a change as the incorporation of artificial intelligence, machine learning and 3D printing are set to transform production processes. Against this backdrop, the study, using relevant literature, investigates the role of the fourth industrial revolution vis-à-vis employment. The paper determines both the intensity and the rate of job losses, and in deploying content analysis technique, it discerns both ends of the spectrum. On the one hand, while World Bank and Oxford University highlight excessive job losses worldwide, whereas studies from Mario Pianta and Marco Vivarelli, using similar data structures but different techniques, point to limited job destruction, that too, in the Schumpeterian sense. Thus, analysing literature, the paper presents a review of studies from IZA, OECD, J Stanley Metcalfe and others, to establish that the impact of such changes has either been over amplified or understated. A valid inference, thus, could be that fourth industrial revolution may not impact all countries evenly, and may have a varying effect on different countries.

Keywords: job losses, the fourth industrial revolution, artificial intelligence, machine learning, 3D printing, automation, computerisation, robotics

Suggested Citation

Gera, Ishaan and Singh, Seema, An Inquiry into the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on Employment: A Review (January 6, 2019). Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Digital Strategies for Organizational Success, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3315169 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3315169

Ishaan Gera (Contact Author)

Delhi Technological University ( email )

Bawana Road
Main Bawana Road,
Delhi, Delhi 110042
India

Seema Singh

Delhi Technological University ( email )

Bawana Road
Main Bawana Road,
Delhi, Delhi 110042
India

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