Nearly six out of 10 South Korean manufacturing companies forecast that the upcoming fourth industrial revolution will weigh heavily on employment, especially in labor-intensive sectors, a survey said Monday.
According to the poll of 272 manufacturers conducted by the Bank of Korea, 59 percent said the fourth industrial revolution will lead to a decrease in employment, while 15.4 percent said it would lead to a rise in new jobs.
By sector, 71.4 percent of petrochemical and oil refinery firms gave the pessimistic response, along with 68.4 percent of automakers and 62.5 percent of steelmakers.
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(Yonhap) |
On the other hand, in the information and technology field, 46.2 percent anticipated the fourth industrial revolution bringing about an expansion in employment opportunities, while 19.2 percent had a grim outlook on jobs.
In order to deal with the IT-led industrial paradigm shift, the survey also revealed that companies are preparing innovate their production process first and invest more in infrastructure. (Yonhap)