Abstract:

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) has grown in the last decade. I4.0 supports a:
(a) set of cutting-edge technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence (AI);
(b) connected via the internet;
(c) associated with specific skills of the workforce that;
(d) leveraged the “digital transformation” and;
(e) made it possible to operate production systems in a more flexible and collaborative way.

One of the digital transformation models presents four intelligences in I4.0:
(1) Smart Manufacturing, where their workers are called
(2) Smart Working, and they focus on the values that integrate the internal with the external processes company's
(3) Smart Supply Chain, and observe their
(4) Smart Products and Services consumers.

These dimensions require continued learning, training and professional development. Thus, I4.0 needs to assess its capabilities and adjust its strategies; overcoming the challenges imposed on issues related to digital security and protection, standardization of communication interfaces, work organization processes, availability of a skilled workforce, insertion of small and medium-sized companies, professional training and development, research and investments. Therefore, when we focus on the adaptations required in the workforce, whether in professionalization processes or organizational processes, there are many latent gaps. There are four groups of competences, important in this context: technical, methodological, social and personal competences. Added to this are the new demands brought by the need for social isolation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, where there was a increase in the forms of telework. The aim of this study was to understand the skills required by I4.0, during the Covid-19 pandemic, and how they will be configured in the post-pandemic. In methodological terms, this exploratory work was based on an inductive approach, considering that it is the observation of particular phenomena, in order to identify existing regularities and patterns. In terms of procedures, bibliographical research was used and the analysis of selected texts focused on the search for standards that have been adopted or recommended in the context studied. The results point to a transformation, accelerated by “covid19”, of the work processes that move towards a combination of face-to-face instances with telework; in this sense, workers are being forced to bear the costs of this transition: families need to adapt their living environments, opening spaces so that there are conditions for work, from adapting the furniture to the availability of computer and connectivity equipment; in addition, remote work started to require not only an acceleration of the use of tools and robotization, which implies greater professional preparation associated with continuous digital learning, which requires an investment of time and energy on the part of workers in a context emerging businesses, which are configured in the world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, as well as the ability to deal with the pressure of work in the domestic environment. This impact is seen as an unprecedented acceleration; the pandemic has led to rapid adoption of I4.0 technologies as companies have come to rely on cloud computing, AI, 5G, big data and other resources to run their business.

Keywords:

Industry 4.0, Covid-19, skills, workforce.