Outline and Impact of Firms Related to the Third Industrial Revolution: Investigation through Big Data

Abstract

This article is focusing on the dynamism of the Third Industrial Revolution (TIR) in the region Hauts-de-France between 2013 and 2018. Region Hauts-de-France has been a forerunner in setting up a proactive policy in favour of the TIR. It provides a relevant and suitable context for the identification of TIR activities. We assess the job dynamism of the TIR through the implementation of big data methods for the identification of the firms involved in the TIR activities and the collection of firm microlevel data. We provide evidence of the strong dynamism of the TIR activities in a context of weak regional dynamics. We show that the growth in employment arises mainly from renewable energies, positive energy buildings, circular economy and energy efficiency. Future researches are encouraged to investigate the quality of employment and to question the distinctive characteristics of the firms involved in TIR.