Influence of education on placement of production in the AIC in the conditions of Industry 4.0

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to study the influence of education on placement of production in the agro-industrial complex (AIC) in the conditions of Industry 4.0. Design/methodology/approach: For studying the experience of modern Russia in the aspect of the influence of education on placement of production in the AIC, the author uses the methodology of economic statistics. The author performs analysis of the ratio of the number of companies of the AIC and the share of the employed with higher education in the federal districts of the Russian Federation in 2018. Two markets are distinguished in the structure of the AIC: agriculture and food industry. Also, the method of regression analysis is used for compilation of regression curves, which reflect the dependence of the number of companies in the AIC (in view of the distinguished markets) on the share of the employed with higher education. Findings: The results of the performed research showed that during the third technological mode in Russia, accessibility and quality (level of education) of human resources are insignificant factors during decision-making on placement of production in the AIC. In the conditions of Industry 4.0, the situation will change, and education will have significant influence on placement of production in the AIC. The higher the level of education of a territory’s human resources, the lower the entrepreneurial risks (risk of equipment’s failure and production defects), the higher the probability of creation of know-how (possibility to save on R&D with high innovative activity) and the higher the opportunities for selling the products of AIC 4.0 on the territory. Originality/value: Entrepreneurial structures are recommended to use the developed algorithm of selecting a territory for placement of production in the AIC in the conditions of Industry 4.0, in view of the level of education. © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited.