An examination of how the fourth industrial revolution will impact on labour in South Africa

Abstract

The industrial revolution is best placed in developed countries because developing countries such as South Africa are still left behind in technological developments. South Africa as part of globalization has to adapt to the 4 industrial revolution however, the country does not seem to be ready for this revolution. Some key fixtures of the 4 industrial revolution are however seen in South Africa but the resistance is high in the labor market. The main aim and objective of the paper was to examine how labour will cope with the 4 industrial revolution in South Africa. The paper addressed the fundamental concerns associated with the fourth industrial revolution and the impact of this revolution in South Africa. This paper reviewed qualitative data and quantitative data that was used in other journal articles, newspaper and conference papers that are similar to this paper. The findings of this paper are based on how the labor market, trade unions and the society at large understand and welcome the 4^th industrial revolution. The 4 industrial revolution is commonly termed as the Internet of Things (IoT) which suggests that the presence of human in industries is no longer necessary. The 4 industrial revolution is the Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). This paper concludes that South African people are divided when it comes to the 4 industrial revolution, others think the revolution will speed up the work while others think the revolution will take away their jobs.The paper also investigated if all workers will necessarily be affected negatively or positively by the 4 industrial revolution.