Factory 4.0 & Frames: Digitization and robotization will bring over 1 million new jobs in Romania by 2030

Digitization and robotization will bring over 1 million new jobs in Romania by 2030, amid fundamental changes the economy is going through, according to analysts at Factory 4.0 & Frames.

In 10 years, many of today’s jobs will be gone, while new ones, focused on creativity and support services, will be launched in both the private and public sectors.

20-30 years ago, after the Revolution, many people dreamed of a career in a bank or a multinational, regardless of their field of activity. This is in addition to those who hoped for a well-paid place in the state, without too much hassle.

Since then, however, the economy has undergone significant changes, and the job at the bank has become insecure, as have other professions, including that of broker, accountant or journalist.

In the medium term, the state job will no longer be so secure, given that many of the tax services, in general the state’s relationship with the citizen, will be managed through online applications.

Technology has brought significant changes to the economy. We can make payments and take loans online, there are already excellent accounting applications, and the media has passed, for the most part, online, newspapers, in their paper form. Fashion stores have started to make more money online, we even ended up buying our healthy vegetables and fruits on the internet.

Lately, in the public space there is more and more talk about digitalization, about the cloud, robots and artificial intelligence. At first glance, these topics do not seem to affect us directly, but if you look more closely, you will understand that it is about what the labor market will look like in 5-10 years, about the fundamental changes that the economy will go through.

“The fourth industrial revolution has already begun. Industry 4.0 is a reality, and the changes are similar to those triggered by the industrial revolution. We went from horses and carriages to cars, from candles to electricity, from paper newspapers to the internet. In Industry 4.0, many of the current jobs will disappear in the next 10 years and others will appear that require new skills, ” say Factory 4.0 & Frames specialists.

According to McKinsey Global Institute (MCI) estimates, between 400 and 800 million jobs worldwide will be lost due to automation by 2030. Only five percent of current occupations will be automated. In addition, new jobs will be created.

,, The big challenge, for employers, governments and the population, is that many of the future jobs have not yet been defined, some have not even been invented. The only certainty is that tomorrow’s workers will have to have technical skills and digital skills, complemented by a flexibility in thinking, skill in solving problems“, says Marius Hărătău, FACTORY 4.0 manager.

The economy, in 2030, will be connected to technology, 6G internet, cloud services. This will mean that employees will need to know how to use the computer, work applications, perform various operations using artificial intelligence.

,, From the store salesman to the sales manager, from the agricultural employee to the one who works in the factory, everyone’s activity will be supported with the help of robots, software applications, artificial intelligence. To handle a potato picking robot, to work with the robot that assembles cars, to use an online application through which you manage the relationship with customers – such activities are already common in other countries and will certainly be implemented in our country as well ” , says Adrian Negrescu, Frames manager.

According to experts, the economy of the future will be based, more than ever, on data, and their management will generate the most new jobs.

From data analysts, able to interpret information, use it to increase company productivity and performance, to AI system manager, able to plan, budget and manage the talents, resources and operations of companies, all companies will need such of jobs.

The data is already used in various industries, from advertising to utilities and financial services. There are more and more companies that provide meaningful information based on large amounts of complex data and that are still in great need of specialists. Based on the information provided, companies gain a better understanding, among other things, of customer behavior and transactions and can streamline their business and access new sources of revenue. What does it take to get involved in the field? Mainly a specialization course, and offers already exist on the Romanian market ”, says Marius Hărătău.

Beyond data management, the economy of the future will need specialists in technology, software development and support – from engineers specializing in the design, development and testing of advanced manufacturing technologies, to employees specializing in monitoring the electrical aspects of systems and specialists in monitoring and optimizing industrial processes, reducing bottlenecks, eliminating waste, increasing efficiency and maximizing efficiency.

Data analysis specialists, engineers, application and interface developers, quality supervisors.

Most such jobs are specialized. According to experts, beyond the somewhat technical trades, the Romanian economy will need, in 10 years, more and more creative people.

,, Human intelligence, the creative spirit of people will never be able to be reached by cars, so people will be needed to practice creative trades, from those aimed at developing new services dedicated to the population (tourism, public catering, etc.) to jobs in the cultural field, recreational activities and sports.

Inventors, writers, actors, those who make cultural productions (theater, music, etc.), those who provide services in tourism, chefs, sports coaches, virtually all areas that are part of the cultural-sports ecosystem will find an even more place. important than today in a digital world where access to the product of their work will be available globally.

,, 2030 will bring, in Romania, over 1 million jobs in the digital area, whether we are talking about those who work in technical fields, associated with application development, support and technology development, or we are talking about dedicated services & support population and companies (including the public administration area) or the creative area, where human creation, whether it is invention, culture, sports activities, etc. it will be more sustained and capitalized than ever. There are new jobs and jobs transformed as a result of the implementation of digitalization, both in the private sector and in the public sector, ” analysts estimate.

In 2016, the digital economy, in Romania, represented 6.9% of GDP, the equivalent of 12 billion euros, above the EEC average of 6.5%. Against the background of the economic development, the businesses in the Romanian technological sector have advanced significantly, from 26 billion lei in 2010 to 52 billion lei in 2019.

ABOUT THE ROMANIAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

The fundamental changes that the Romanian labor market will go through will have to be supported by an educational system adapted to the times. According to Eurostat data, Romania is currently, unfortunately, in the queue for the ranking of digital skills in the EU.

In 2019, no less than 43% of Romanians aged 16-74 had reduced digital skills, ranking Romania first in the European Union in this regard, followed by Bulgaria (38%). In terms of people with superior digital skills, the data show that only 10% of the population master such skills.

At the 2018 PISA tests, Romania was the only country in the EU that took the tests for 15-year-old students on paper, with a pen. The digital skills test at the Baccalaureate is held only 15 minutes on the computer, while 75 minutes is given on the sheet, with the pen.

,, The Romanian school must be reformed. Our children must learn subjects appropriate to the times in which we live, the school must prepare them for reality. The development of digital skills must be on the same level with the Romanian language, with the learning of foreign languages. Otherwise, if we continue with this archaic teaching system and with the subjects that students must learn now, we will wake up, in a few years, that Romania’s labor force will no longer be competitive, and the economy will suffer. We will lose investments, we will lose in terms of well-being “, shows the analysis of Factory 4.0 & Frames.

Beyond the real reform of Romanian education, measures are needed to increase the birth rate.

,, Without a concrete plan to stimulate the birth rate, by providing financial / fiscal facilities to families with children, similar to those practiced in other countries such as France or Hungary, we will wake up in the next 10 years with an acute labor crisis. We have already started to bring in foreign workers, and if we do not find formulas to stimulate the birth rate, the prospects are really worrying “, says Adrian Negrescu.

According to a study prepared by the Ministry of Labor, part of the “National Strategy for Green Jobs”, Romania’s population, which in 2015 was 19,870,647 people, will count in 2030 only 18,023,954 people. In the same period, the so-called “working age 15 – 64 years” population will decrease from 67.5% in 2015 to 63.2% in 2030.

The negative evolution estimated until 2030 continues the trend registered in the last ten years. Thus, “in the period 2006 – 2016 the population of Romania decreased by approximately 1.5 million people, and the accentuated tendency of decreasing the population was registered especially among the working age population, 15-64 years, where the decrease of was 1.27 million people. ”

About the trades of the future, about the human potential that Romania has in the perspective of Industry 4.0 and about the qualification programs in the trades of the future will be discussed, in detail, during the Factory 4.0 conference that will take place on October 13 in Bucharest.

“Romania has the chance to increase its economic competitiveness in a relatively short time, if it focuses on accelerating digitalization and convergence towards a technology-based economy,” say the specialists.

The digital economy could account for at least 20% of GDP in 2030, with an increase of around € 50 billion in gross domestic product.