THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL

REVOLUTION:
ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS
FOR CAREER RESEARCH
AND PRACTICE

Maria Anisia Jennifer Sanidad

 WHAT IS “4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION”?

• Also known as “Industry 4.0 or 4IR”

• It is the trend towards accelerating digitization and
automation of work
• Characterized by technologies such as: Robotics, AI, web 3,
cloud computing, 3D printing, Internet of Things, etc.
 MAIN POINTS OF THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION
• Will Digitization Lead to the Disappearance of work?
• Current technology is no longer aimed at replacing physical labor and
supporting humans in doing their work, but rather at replacing cognitive work
and human workers altogether.
• Structural Changes in the World of Work
• Job Polarization - phenomenon where middle‐skilled jobs are hollowed out,
whereas lower skilled service jobs and high‐skilled jobs are relatively increased.
• Increase in “Gig economy”
• Career management
• Lifelong learning
 CAREER MODELS AND FRAMEWORKS OF THE 4TH
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

• Protean and Boundaryless Careers

• Protean – A protean career attitude is described as pursuit of freedom and personal
• Boundaryless- Importance of career mobility
• SCCT “Social Cognitive Career Theory”
• People act on their judgments of what they can do, as well as on their beliefs about the effects
of various actions
• Career Construction and Life Design
• Sense of purpose across their diverse work experiences
• PWT “Psychology of Working Theory”
• Theory which aims to explain the work experiences of all individuals
 IMPLICATIONS FOR CAREER RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

• Need for new skills and competencies

• Changing nature of work
• New opportunities for career development
• Impact on job satisfaction and well being
• New research methods and data sources
 PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF FRAMEWORKS FOR
RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

• Capitalize on new data sources and methodologies

• Use tools to collect and manage increasing amounts of digital data on all aspects of employee behavior
and performance, and different career trajectories.
• To continuously adapt to—and learn to work with—increasingly fast‐changing technology.
• Our education and training systems need to adapt to better prepare people for the flexibility and critical
thinking skills they will need in the future workplace.
• Individuals need to be able to present themselves well on digital platforms and build an online reputation
• Build and update professional skills constantly and quickly by using digitized sources
THANK YOU!