The impact of Industry 4.0 implementation on required general competencies of employees in the automotive sector

Abstract In an effort to reduce operating costs and to increase the quality and efficiency of production, production organizations in the automotive sector are trying to implement the Industry 4.0 concept, which has become a phenomenon of the last two decades. These initiatives have a significant impact on the employees in production organizations, especially in automotive sector. The main aim of the presented study is to expertly assess the importance of general competencies for transforming job positions in the automotive industry in Slovakia. The starting point of the presented study were the results of research focused on emerging positions in the automotive industry and the competencies required by employers in Slovakia. Based on the expert assessment, the hierarchical structure of the solved problem was created and the importance of competencies for analysed job positions was assessed by applying the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) method. The results pointed to the growing importance of non-technical competencies. Analyses have shown that actually the most important work competencies are: basic literacy, professional knowledge, problem solving, digital skills and analytical thinking. The development of the necessary competencies will be important both, from the point of view of employers, but also of employees working in professions that are in decline, become endangered and need to be transformed into the required professions.