Features of Labor Activity in the “Industry 4.0” Production Sector

Abstract

The author identifies some structural changes in the organization of labor activity, which entail changes in the nature of labor. Transitioning to a new model for the Russian economic development is associated with an understanding of fundamental global changes in economy, business, and society. The introduction of the Industry 4.0 concept irreversibly and systematically transforms both the industry and the whole economy. This concept looks into the organization of production based on network interactions of business entities and devices in the value chain. It also implies continuous communications at all levels. The expected changes transform industrial production, not only the role and place of people in economic activity, their functions from physical activity to its control. They also affect the organization of labor, its very nature. The active implementation of artificial intelligence, robotics, and the algorithmization of work processes in software directly affects the labor market, accelerating the development of scientific and technological progress and replacing human labor. The knowledge economy, formed on the resuls of the sixth technological order, is changing the organization of human labor. The author critically reviews and ranks structural changes that led to a change in the nature of labor. First, the automation of production and the transition to the “smart factory” have altered the ecosystem of human activity. The transformation of human activities in the enterprise is the second structural change in the organization of labor that influenced the change in the nature of labor. The multitasking of activities and the interdisciplinarity of this process constitute the second factor. The research perspectives are related to the practical aspects of forecasting the level of employment in the industry, proceeding from the perspectives of the sixth technological order.