Emerging Technologies and Increasing Talent Demand in the Automotive Sector
With the aim of enhancing efficiency and making the overall production process customer-centric, Industry 4.0 is revolutionizing the automotive sector. The transition to electric vehicles stands out as a major trend, driven by global emission regulations and the need for sustainable solutions. In addition to electric vehicles, eco-friendly production processes, recyclable materials, and energy-saving are among the sustainability trends.
The integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) within Industry 4.0 allows vehicles to communicate with each other and infrastructure, creating a more efficient transportation network. Furthermore, rising trends in the automotive sector include shared mobility, vehicle-sharing, and shared vehicle service platforms. Another crucial agenda in the automotive industry is artificial intelligence (AI), with AI-supported algorithms gaining prominence in various areas such as enhanced safety, advanced driver assistance, predictive maintenance, and personalized user experiences.
The rapid pace of technological developments underscores the importance of assessing future skills and taking proactive steps in the automotive sector. One of these crucial steps is for companies to analyze the skills they need and include individuals with these skills in their teams. Due to the speed of digital transformation, the ongoing talent crisis emphasizes not only finding individuals with the necessary skills but also identifying talents capable of developing these skills.
Key Skills Sought in the Automotive Sector
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs 2023 Report indicates that cognitive skills such as analytical thinking, technological literacy, AI, and big data, along with relational skills like leadership, social impact, curiosity, lifelong learning, motivation, personal awareness, empathy, and active listening, are among the most important skills in the automotive industry. In the current transformation, roles such as AI and Machine Learning Experts, along with critical roles like Mechanical Engineers, Ship and Aircraft Controllers and Technicians, and Industrial and Manufacturing Engineers are anticipated to be vital.
A similar scenario is observed in Turkey, where the automotive sector is identified as one of the five vulnerable sectors within the "COVID-19 Crisis Response and Resilience Project" conducted in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Industry and Technology.
Perspectives on Talent in the Automotive Sector
Executives of automotive companies highlight the importance of employer branding initiatives to reach more than half of their current workforce belonging to Generation Y. They emphasize the challenges of attracting a talented workforce and the importance of having a good partner in identifying and solving employee-based needs in a changing digital world.
The 2022 Activity Report of TAYSAD reveals that the Automotive Technology Platform, through various seminars and webinars, monitors the current pulse of the automotive sector, covering topics such as Software, Digital Transformation, Battery and Electrification, Cost Optimization in Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicles, Battery Technologies, Battery Management System (BMS), Functional Safety Life Cycle (ISO26262), A-SPICE Awareness, Powertrain, Automotive Cybersecurity, and ADAS Sensors.
As Industry 4.0, technological advancements, and digital transformation bring significant changes to the automotive sector both globally and locally, the ongoing talent crisis highlights the necessity of accurately understanding the future skills required for success. Successfully navigating this transformation involves positioning individuals with the needed skills correctly and acquiring potential talents capable of developing these skills through new graduate hires, various internship programs, and continuous education initiatives.
