The potential impacts of Industry 4.0 on job and labor characteristics: A comparison between Germany and Turkey

The purpose of the study is to examine the developments in Germany and Turkey within the framework of the Industry 4.0 Revolution comparatively and reveal the potential impacts of Industry 4.0 on the labor and jobs and create a projection. In this economic race with Industry 4.0, countries that want to be the winner have to make their plans not only according to today's conditions but also tomorrow's. Consequently, future studies on the subject of Industry 4.0 are of vital importance. Within the scope of this study, the industrial revolutions, the main components of Industry 4.0, and critical discussions are covered and Industry 4.0 developments are examined in three sectors: service, industry, and agriculture. For a detailed study, the service sector for both countries is divided into various titles such as; education, health, data management, communications, and cybersecurity. The industry sector is divided into transportation, electrical and electronics, climate and environment, and energy. Also, parameters related to Industry 4.0 are included. In order to determine the possible effects, this study is based on the technology impact assessment. Results of the study show that the countries that make their investments on education and technology will be on the winning side in the Industry 4.0 revolution and the revolution will cause radical changes in the labor market, the quality of the labour force, and jobs. Also most of the existing jobs will be replaced by capital while simultaneously new jobs will appear. This study has shown that Germany is in a better position than Turkey in the Industry revolution 4.0, due to the policies and investment strategies it follows.