Industry 4.0 and the future of quality work in the global digital economy

Investigations into new technologies, employment and working conditions are timeless and consequently have occupied research, public policy, and popular fiction for centuries. However, in addition to the uncertainty created by the introduction of new technologies, the current coronavirus pandemic, with its associated impact on health and the economy, has led to increased volatility across the globe. The global medical crisis arising from the worldwide spread of COVID-19 is predicted to lead to a global economic crisis and subsequent deep depression. The resultant economic, social and political repercussions are likely to be felt for years or even decades to come, equalling the great depression of the last century. Consequently, it is difficult to make long-term accurate predictions about the impact of new technologies on industry, society, and labour. In this context, the aim of this introductory article to the themed volume is to consider the potential challenges and opportunities associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and potential impacts on work and workplaces. This introductory article comprises an international collection of research that examines the impact of technological change on employment and working conditions with consideration given to the additional impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. JEL Codes: O14, O33

Section: Technology and The Fourth Industrial Revolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New technology and work: Exploring the challenges

Burgess

Connell

2020

“…i4.0 has not gone unquestioned (Rainnie and Dean, 2020). Pfeiffer (2017a) has warned that the technologically deterministic view of i4.0 and its technological marvels threaten a ‘digital despotism’ that will make human workers subservient to integrated digital production systems that monopolise decision-making.…”

Section: And Then Came Covid-19mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In earlier work (Rainnie and Dean, 2020), I looked critically at the emerging i4.0 debate and how it related (or didn’t) to the literature on the future of work, with a particular focus on Australia. In this article, I return to 94.0, but look at the supposed role of three-dimensional (3D) printing in the new world.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

i4.0, 3D printing, deglobalisation and new manufacturing clusters: The view from Australia

Rainnie

2020

Self Cite

Before the COVID-19 pandemic erupted onto the world stage, a new narrative was apparently beginning to emerge about the impact of i4.0 and new technologies in general, and three-dimensional printing in particular, on the future of work and employment. This was to have particular geographical implications for the manufacturing sector in particular. Proponents of i4.0 also suggested that this process, particularly in manufacturing, would promote the re-emergence of patterns of clustering. Developments in advanced manufacturing, particularly three-dimensional printing, would accelerate and reinforce these tendencies. This article looks at the role that three-dimensional printing is supposed to play in the new world, and in particular, critically evaluates its role in reinforcing the trend towards deglobalisation on the one hand, and, on the other, new clusters of manufacturing industry. JEL code: O33

“…It draws on recent work from the Centre for Future Work examining the prospects for Australian manufacturing renewal in a post-COVID-19 economy. It integrates complementary analysis developed by Rainnie (2021) and Rainnie and Dean (2019, 2021), critically evaluating the Fourth Industrial Revolution (i4.0) and its implications for the Australian economy (in general, and for manufacturing in particular). The aim of the article is to contribute to, and further develop, the debate about the future of government intervention in manufacturing and industry policy in Australia, in hopes of developing a more cohesive framework for active industry policy responses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Industrial policy-making after COVID-19: Manufacturing, innovation and sustainability

Dean¹,

Rainnie

Stanford³

et al. 2021

Self Cite

This article critically analyses the opportunities for Australia to revitalise its strategically important manufacturing sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It considers Australia’s industry policy options on the basis of both advances in the theory of industrial policy and recent policy proposals in the Australian context. It draws on recent work from The Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work examining the prospects for Australian manufacturing renewal in a post-COVID-19 economy, together with other recent work in political economy, economic geography and labour process theory critically evaluating the Fourth Industrial Revolution (i4.0) and its implications for the Australian economy. The aim of the article is to contribute to and further develop the debate about the future of government intervention in manufacturing and industry policy in Australia. Crucially, the argument links the future development of Australian manufacturing with a focus on renewable energy. JEL Codes: L50; L52; L78; O10; O13: O25; O44; P18; Q42