Industry 4.0 is the label used to define and describe one of the leading trends in current manufacturing technology.

The growing tech-based evolution will initiate a transformation in the automotive industry, both locally and around the globe. Put simply, the Canadian automotive industry will change with the adoption of Industry 4.0 — and the jobs available in the industry will change, too.

Here’s a look at what’s happening and what’s ahead.

Join the drivers of change

The automotive industry is one of the key drivers of change in the advanced manufacturing sector. In addition to developing new manufacturing technologies and production systems that will increase productivity and competitiveness, the Canadian automotive industry is:

1. Creating innovative solutions to challenges in vehicle connectivity and advanced driver assistance systems.
2. Breaking new ground in vehicle light-weighting and alternative propulsion to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Talent and skills development are key to our industry’s success going forward, encompassing both traditional and new automotive occupations. There is no better way to highlight the consequences of Industry 4.0 on occupations in the Canadian automotive industry than the graphic below:

Distribution of the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on 48 automotive manufacturing occupations

The changes represent a huge and exciting opportunity in Canada’s automotive industry workplace that embraces the technological transformation. There will be upgrades in tasks, roles and skills in key automotive occupations – all driven by the accelerated adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies.

Let’s take a couple of examples included in the graphic:

Supervisor Occupations

Supervisor Occupations may have to learn how to make use of collected and analyzed data across the manufacturing facility to coordinate operations, schedule productions and oversee the performance of workers. That’s a driver of change.

Production Occupations

Production Occupations will likely follow new predictive maintenance systems instead of preventative maintenance standards and rely on smart sensors and collected data for a more accurate quality control process. That’s another driver of change.

Overall, there will be a shift towards a larger proportion of highly skilled occupations and a highly skilled labour force. Production tasks are forecast to be less labour intensive, while supervisory and inspection work of automated machinery and systems will continue to remain essential.

An expanding menu of job prospects

Industry 4.0 will move automotive jobs and careers beyond their traditional prospects. For example, there are emerging openings for computer engineers and software technicians that include:

• Operating and maintaining cloud computing and management systems.
• Administering cyber security systems, data collection, analytics software and algorithms.

It’s impossible to do justice to the wide range of employment opportunities offered by the Canadian automotive industry – right now and going forward. Those opportunities include, but are not limited to, professional, engineering and technical occupations; skilled trades occupations; and both supervisory and production roles.

For a more complete analysis, please read this report: Impact of Industry 4.0 Technologies on Key Occupations In Automotive Manufacturing.

Find out more from FOCAL

The Future of Canadian Automotive Labourforce (FOCAL) Initiative is a collaboration of the Canadian Skills Training and Employment Coalition (CSTEC), the Automotive Policy Research Centre and Prism Economics and Analysis.

Funded by the Government of Canada, you can find out more about us on our website and follow us on Social Media – LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and through our newsletter. As Canada’s automotive industry heads in an exciting new direction, we hope you’ll come along for the ride.