4^th IR and challenges for the creative and cottage industries

According to the Future of Jobs Report 2016, creativity will become one of the top three skills workers will need. With the avalanche of new products, new technologies and new ways of working, workers are going to have to become more creative in order to benefit from these changes. The global impact of 4^th IR had already affected various industries, such as travel and hospitality, retail, media and the entertainment businesses, customer package goods and many others. In most countries in Asian region, government policies had been written to prepare their nation in facing the impact of the 4^th IR. Most countries had plans to become the producer of high-value, diverse and complex products. So, what will happen to the small cottage industries which are run by small families through generations? Some are totally isolated from the mainstream technology and left out from the development radar. In this paper, the researcher shares a case study of an urban batik entrepreneur and some tips in preparing ourselves for the 4^th IR.