Exploring employee perceptions on the adoption of 4IR-driven job automation in the South African Food Manufacturing Industry

Abstract

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (or 4IR in short) is characterised by the latest technologies that mostly serve as solutions for automating tasks. Examples include the internet of things, cloud computing, artificial intelligence with machine learning and robotic process automation. The food value chain is no exception to this automation. All processes involved in converting the raw agricultural produce into finished goods for sale and consumption are expected to eventually integrate the 4IR technological advances, which automate job functions. In the South African Food manufacturing industry, these traditionally manual tasks are performed by a high number of employees, many of which perform lower-occupational level manual functions. The study’s purpose was to explore the South African Food manufacturing industry’s employee’s perceptions of this 4IR phenomenon, with the technologies that will be possibly automating their job functions or overall employment. This is to intentionally address the main research problem of not knowing the employee’s views on the subject, in addition to not being able to track the policymakers and employers’ efforts in managing the transition to 4IR-adoption in the industry. The research study was conducted through interviewing 14 participants who are employed by the South African Food manufacturing industry. They were expected to share their perceptions by answering open-ended questions, and their responses were analysed qualitatively. Their responses were coded and grouped to themes, and findings led to recommendations such as accelerating the change management process to identify upskilling requirements sooner.