the preparedness of employees for the new world of work in the fourth industrial revolution: evidence from south africa

The fourth industrial revolution has become popular around the globe and in almost every industry. thus, it is set to influence every aspect of business. while previous theoretical and empirical work documents trends of industrial revolution, the preparedness of employees for the new world of workin the fourth industrial revolution remains unchartered territory. hence, the purpose of this paper is to explore the preparedness of employees for the new world of work in the fourth industrial revolution with ethekwini municipality in south africa serving as a case study. the qualitative research methodology was selected as a preferred approach because it reinforces an understanding and interpretation of the meaning as well as the intentions underlying human interactions. a cross-sectional research design was used in the study. a final sample size used for the study consisted of 10 respondents within the municipality. the findings of the study indicated that both the organisation and its workforce are not adequately prepared for the fourth industrial revolution. the research findings provide the leadership and management of the ethekwini municipality in south africa with an understanding of the fourth industrial revolution and the importance of preparing employees for the new world of work.