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Fierro, Luca Eduardo, Alessandro Caiani & Alberto Russo (2022): Automation, Job Polarisation, and Structural Change. In: Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Jg. 200, S. 499-535. DOI:10.1016/j.jebo.2022.05.025

Abstract

"The increasing automation of tasks traditionally performed by labour is reshaping the relationship between skills and tasks of workers, unevenly affecting labour demand for low, middle, and high-skill occupations. To investigate the economy-wide response to automation, we designed a multisector Agent-Based Macroeconomic model accounting for workers' heterogeneity in skills and tasks. The model features endogenous skill-biased technical change, and heterogeneous consumption preferences for goods and personal services across workers of different skill types. Following available empirical evidence, we model automation as a manufacturing-specific, productivity-enhancing, and skill-biased technological process. We show how automation can trigger a structural change process from manufactory to personal services, which eventually increases the share of high and low-skilled occupations, while reducing the share of middle-skilled ones. Following the literature, we label this dynamics as job polarisation throughout the paper. Finally, we study how labour market policies can feedback in the model dynamics. In our framework, a minimum wage policy (i) slows down the structural change process, (ii) boosts aggregate productivity, and (iii) accelerates the automation process, strengthening productivity growth within the manufacturing sector." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

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Gries, Thomas & Wim Naudé (2022): Modelling artificial intelligence in economics. In: Journal for labour market research, Jg. 56. DOI:10.1186/s12651-022-00319-2

Abstract

"We provide a partial equilibrium model wherein AI provides abilities combined with human skills to provide an aggregate intermediate service good. We use the model to find that the extent of automation through AI will be greater if (a) the economy is relatively abundant in sophisticated programs and machine abilities compared to human skills; (b) the economy hosts a relatively large number of AI-providing firms and experts; and (c) the task-specific productivity of AI services is relatively high compared to the task-specific productivity of general labor and labor skills. We also illustrate that the contribution of AI to aggregate productive labor service depends not only on the amount of AI services available but on the endogenous number of automated tasks, the relative productivity of standard and IT-related labor, and the substitutability of tasks. These determinants also affect the income distribution between the two kinds of labor. We derive several empirical implications and identify possible future extensions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer) ((en))

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Haapanala, Henri, Ive Marx & Zachary Parolin (2022): Robots and Unions: The Moderating Effect of Organised Labour on Technological Unemployment. (IZA discussion paper 15080), Bonn, 31 S.

Abstract

"We analyse the moderating effect of trade unions on industrial employment and unemployment in countries facing exposure to industrial robots. Applying random effects within-between regression to a pseudo-panel of observations from 28 advanced democracies over 1998-2019, we find that stronger trade unions in a country are associated with a greater decline in the industry sector employment of young and low-educated workers. We also show that the unemployment rates for low-educated workers remain constant in strongly unionised countries with increasing exposure to robots, whereas in weakly unionised countries, low-educated unemployment declines with robot exposure but from a higher starting point. Our results point to unions exacerbating the insider-outsider effects of technological change within the industrial sector, which however is not fully passed on to unemployment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Handel, Michael J. (2022): Growth trends for selected occupations considered at risk from automation. In: Monthly labor review H. July. DOI:10.21916/mlr.2022.21

Abstract

"Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics have led to substantial concern that large-scale job losses are imminent. Selected occupations are often cited as illustrations of technological displacement that is or will become a more general problem, but these discussions are often impressionistic. This article compiles a list of specific occupations cited in the automation literature and examines the occupations’ employment trends since 1999 and projected employment to 2029. There is little support in U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data or projections for the idea of a general acceleration of job loss or a structural break with trends pre-dating the AI revolution with respect to the occupations cited as examples. Offsetting factors and other limitations of the automation thesis are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hornuf, Lars & Daniel Vrankar (2022): Hourly Wages in Crowdworking: A Meta-Analysis. (CESifo working paper 9540), München, 38 S.

Abstract

"In the past decade, crowdworking on online labor market platforms has become the main source of income for a growing number of people worldwide. This development has led to increasing political and scientific interest in the wages that people can earn on such platforms. In this article, we extend the literature based on a single platform, region, or category of crowdworking by conducting a meta-analysis of the prevalent hourly wages. After a systematic and rigorous literature search, we consider 20 primary empirical studies, including 104 wages and 76,282 data points from 22 platforms, eight different countries, and a time span of 12 years. We find that, on average, microwork results in an hourly wage of less than $6. This wage is significantly lower than the mean wage of online freelancers, which is roughly three times higher. We find that hourly wages accounting for unpaid work, such as searching for tasks and communicating with requesters, tend to be significantly lower than wages not considering unpaid work. Legislators and researchers evaluating wages in crowdworking should be aware of this bias when assessing hourly wages, given that the majority of the literature does not account for the effect of unpaid work time on crowdworking wages. To foster the comparability of different research results, we suggest that scholars consider a wage malus to account for unpaid work. Finally, we find that hourly wages collected through surveys tend to be lower than wages collected via browser plugins or other technical data collection methods." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jestl, Stefan (2022): Industrial Robots, and Information and Communication Technology. The Employment Effects in EU Labour Markets. (WIIW working paper 215), Wien, 44 S.

Abstract

"This paper explores the effects of industrial robots and information and communication technology (ICT) on regional employment in EU countries. The empirical analysis relies on a harmonised comprehensive regional dataset, which combines business statistics and national and regional accounts data. This rich dataset enables us to provide detailed insights into the employment effects of automation and computerisation in EU regions for the period 2001-2016. The results suggest relatively weak effects on regional total employment dynamics. However, employment effects differ between manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries. Industrial robots show negative employment effects in local manufacturing industries, but positive employment effects in local non-manufacturing industries. While the negative effect is concentrated in particular local manufacturing industries, the positive effect operates in local service industries. IT investments show positive employment effects only in local manufacturing industries, while CT investments are shown to be irrelevant for employment dynamics. In contrast, software and database investments have had a predominantly negative impact on local employment in both local manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Korinek, Anton & Megan Juelfs (2022): Preparing for the (Non-Existent?) Future of Work. (NBER working paper 30172), Cambridge, Mass, 42 S. DOI:10.3386/w30172

Abstract

"This paper considers the labor market and distributional implications of a scenario of ever-more-intelligent autonomous machines that substitute for human labor and drive down wages. We lay out three concerns arising from such a scenario and evaluate recent predictions and objections to these concerns. Then we analyze how a utilitarian social planner would allocate work and income if these concerns start to materialize. As the income produced by autonomous machines rises and the value of labor declines, a utilitarian planner finds it optimal to phase out work, beginning with workers who have low labor productivity and job satisfaction, since they have comparative advantage in enjoying leisure. This is in stark contrast to welfare systems that force individuals with low labor productivity to work. If there are significant wage declines, avoiding mass misery will require other ways of distributing income than labor markets, whether via sufficiently well-distributed capital ownership or via benefits. Recipients could still engage in work for its own sake if they enjoy work amenities such as structure, purpose and meaning. If work gives rise to positive externalities such as social connections or political stability, or if individuals undervalue the benefits of work because of internalities, then a social planner would incentivize work. However, in the long run, the planner might be able to achieve a higher level of social welfare by adopting alternative ways of providing these benefits." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lederman, Daniel & Marwane Zouaidi (2022): Incidence of the Digital Economy and Frictional Unemployment: International Evidence. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 54, H. 51, S. 5873-5888. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2022.2054927

Abstract

"This paper is the first to quantify the relationship between the incidence of the digital economy and long-term frictional unemployment across countries. This paper contributes a novel approach to the literature that had been missing by focusing on the impact of the digital economy on unemployment across a global sample of countries. The resulting evidence indicates that there is a robust, negative partial correlation between national unemployment rates and the incidence of the digital economy, proxied by the share of the adult population that reports using the internet to pay bills. Further, the absolute values of OLS estimates of the partial correlation suggest that it might be higher for developing than high-income economies. Controlling for informal employment appears to be key for removing a positive omitted-variable bias in the estimate of the partial correlation between unemployment and the digital economy, which is due to a negative bivariate correlation between unemployment and informality, and a negative bivariate correlation between informality and the incidence of digital payment. The results from IV estimations suggest that the partial correlation between unemployment and digital payments is negative, with the absolute value of the estimates being larger than the absolute value of the OLS estimates." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Mondolo, Jasmine (2022): The composite link between technological change and employment: A survey of the literature. In: Journal of Economic Surveys, Jg. 36, H. 4, S. 1027-1068. DOI:10.1111/joes.12469

Abstract

"The role played by technological change in employment trends has long been debated and investigated, but the evidence has proven to be inconclusive. This paper aims to shed light on this topic by critically reviewing a broad and heterogeneous body of literature on the employment implications of technical progress. To this purpose, it briefly discusses the main theories and models that underpin the empirical analysis and reviews the literature following two main criteria, namely, the proxy for technological change and the level of analysis. It also accounts for the effect of technical progress on both overall employment and on distinct occupational, educational and demographic groups. Particular attention is devoted to the results of some very recent studies that attempt to unfold the impact of complex automation technologies, especially robots, and to provide a preliminary account of the evolution, distribution, challenges and potential of Artificial Intelligence." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Ocampo, Sergio (2022): A Task-Based Theory of Occupations with Multidimensional Heterogeneity. (Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP) working paper series 2022-02), London, Ontario, 64 S.

Abstract

"I develop an assignment model of occupations with multidimensional heterogeneity in production tasks and worker skills. Tasks are distributed continuously in the skill space, whereas workers have a discrete distribution with a finite number of types. Occupations arise endogenously as bundles of tasks optimally assigned to a type of worker. The model allows us to study how occupations respond to changes in the economic environment, making it useful for analyzing the implications of automation, skill-biased technical change, offshoring, and worker training. Using the model, I characterize how wages, the marginal product of workers, the substitutability between worker types, and the labor share depend on the assignment of tasks to workers. I introduce automation as the choice of the optimal size and location of a mass of identical robots in the task space. Automation displaces workers by replacing them in the performance of tasks, generating a cascading effect on other workers as the boundaries of occupations are redrawn." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ohlert, Clemens, Oliver Giering & Stefan Kirchner (2022): Who is leading the digital transformation? Understanding the adoption of digital technologies in Germany. In: New Technology, Work and Employment, Jg. 37, H. 3, S. 445-468. DOI:10.1111/ntwe.12244

Abstract

"Debates on digitalisation in Germany often refer to ‘Industrie 4.0’ describing a seamless and technology-driven process spearheaded by manufacturing. This view conflicts with sociological arguments, assuming highly differentiated processes of digitalisation. We review the literature and empirically test the core assumption that digital technologies relate to organisational characteristics and that adoption differs according to the type of technology. We analyse German IAB-Establishment-Panel data, which contains organisation-level information, including digital technologies. Our results show a lead of manufacturing in the adoption of digital production technologies. Regarding other digital technologies, manufacturing performs on par or is outperformed by specific service industries. Additionally, the usage of digital technologies relates to organisational characteristics, other than industry (e.g., establishment size, age, competition, employees’ qualification). The relationship patterns largely persist across technologies, with some technology-specific variants. Our empirical results underline the embeddedness of digitalisation processes in Germany and underline the relevance of the technologies in question." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ronsiek, Linus, Anke Mönnig, Christian Schneemann, Johanna Zenk, Jan Philipp Schroer & Alexander Christian Schur (2022): Potentielle Partnerländer für den Import von grünem Wasserstoff nach Deutschland. Version 1.0. (BIBB discussion paper), Bonn, 46 S.

Abstract

"Mit dem Potential das Energie-, Wärme-, Wirtschafts- und Verkehrssystem in Deutschland zu dekarbonisieren wird Wasserstoff, als Energieträger der Zukunft, eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Erreichung der Klimaziele zugesprochen. Wird dieser anhand von erneuerbaren Energien gewonnen (sog. grüner Wasserstoff) ermöglicht er eine Speicherung und damit flexible Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien. Nicht nur auf nationaler, sondern auch auf EU-Ebene wird davon ausgegangen, dass die Kapazitäten für die Produktion von grünem bzw. klimafreundlichem Wasserstoff nicht für eine autarke Energieversorgung ausreichen werden. Mit Fokus auf den Import von grünem Wasserstoff analysiert das vorliegende Diskussionspaper mögliche Kooperationspartnerschaften für Deutschland sowohl innerhalb der EU, als auch außerhalb des Staatenbundes. Im Ergebnis zeigt sich, dass in der mittleren Frist bis 2030 insbesondere Norwegen und Marokko als potentielle Partnerländer infrage kommen. Partnerschaften innerhalb der EU bieten sich vor allem mit Blick auf die politische Stabilität, die wirtschaftlichen Verflechtungen sowie die geografische Nähe an, sind aber aufgrund der bis 2030 abzusehenden Exportpotentiale eher erst in der langen Frist zu erwarten." (BIBB-Autorenreferat)

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Sandher, Jeevun (2022): No Country for Non-Graduate Men: The Childish Roots of Adult Job Tasks & Employment. (SocArXiv papers), 79 S. DOI:10.31235/osf.io/sh58c

Abstract

"Male employment has declined across advanced economies as non-graduate men found it increasingly difficult to gain jobs in the wake of technological change and globalisation. This has led to rising earnings and, subsequently, income inequality. Female employment, by contrast, has risen in this period. Previous work has shown changing job task demands explain this pattern - with declining manual tasks penalising men and rising non-routine tasks benefiting women. In this paper, I test whether gendered differences in childhood & adolescent cognitive, social, perseverance, and emotional-health skills can help explain why men are less adept at non-routine tasks using long-term longitudinal data from the United Kingdom. I find that childhood & adolescent skills have a significant effect on adult job tasks and employment outcomes. Greater cognitive and childhood emotional-health skills lead to people performing more high-pay analytical and interactive job tasks as adults. Greater cognitive and non-cognitive skills are also associated with higher adult employment levels. Indicative calculations show that gendered differences in these childhood and adolescent skills explain an economically significant decline in the analytical and interactive job tasks performed by non-graduate men as well as their employment rates." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Squicciarini, Mariagrazia & Jacopo Staccioli (2022): Labour-saving technologies and employment levels. Are robots really making workers redundant? (OECD science, technology and industry policy papers 124), Paris, 36 S. DOI:10.1787/9ce86ca5-en

Abstract

"This paper exploits natural language processing techniques to detect explicit labour-saving goals in inventive efforts in robotics and assess their relevance for different occupational profiles and the impact on employment levels. The analysis relies on patents published by the European Patent Office between 1978 and 2019 and firm-level data from ORBIS® IP. It investigates innovative actors engaged in labour-saving technologies and their economic environment (identity, location, industry), and identifies technological fields and associated occupations which are particularly exposed to them. Labour-saving patents are concentrated in Japan, the United States, and Italy, and seem to affect low-skilled and blue-collar jobs, along with highly cognitive and specialised professions. A preliminary analysis does not find an appreciable negative effect on employment shares in OECD countries over the past decade, but further research to econometrically investigate the relationship between labour-saving technological developments and employment would be helpful." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Sterlacchini, Alessandro (2022): AI Patenting and Employment: Evidence from the Worlds' Top R&D Investors. (Quaderno di ricerca / Università Politecnica delle Marche, Dipartimento di scienze economiche e sociali 462), Ancona, 23 S.

Abstract

"This paper considers 35 corporations which are among the biggest world's R&D investors and account for more than two thirds of AI patents worldwide. Their post-patenting performance is examined by focusing on employment changes and by comparing them with the outcomes of similar companies, operating in the same sectors and recording high levels of R&D expenditures as well, but not involved in AI patenting to a significant extent. The main finding is that substantial employment benefits for investing in AI inventions arise for the companies belonging to IT services, while in Computers & electronics and Automobiles the same investment is associated with employment reduction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Thomsen, Stephan & Insa Weilage (2022): Transformation durch Algorithmen im kaufmännischen Bereich. Substituierbarkeitspotenziale und Handlungsfelder zur Begleitung des Wandels. Hannover ; Berlin, 35 S.

Abstract

"Im ersten Teil wird zunächst ein zusammenfassender Überblick über den aktuellen Forschungsstand zu Substituierbarkeitspotenzialen in kaufmännischen Berufen gegeben. Nach Beantwortung der Frage, welche Aufgaben besonders anfällig für Automatisierung sind, werden die nach Branchen und Berufsfeldern differenzierten Substituierbarkeitspotenziale dargestellt. Im zweiten Teil werden die zu erwartenden Folgen der skizzierten Entwicklungen für Qualifizierung, Berufsbilder und Erwerbsformen aufgezeigt. Wo möglich, werden Handlungsmöglichkeiten und Diskussionspunkte für den innerbetrieblichen Dialog genannt. Ein kurzes Fazit schließt die Ausführungen ab." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Wrobel, Martin & Jörg Althoff (2022): Klimawandel und Digitalisierung: Potenzielle Chancen und Risiken für die niedersächsische Wirtschaft. (IAB-Regional. Berichte und Analysen aus dem Regionalen Forschungsnetz. IAB Niedersachsen-Bremen 01/2022), Nürnberg, 65 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.RENSB.2201

Abstract

"Um die Auswirkungen der beiden Megatrends Digitalisierung und Klimawandel auf den Arbeitsmarkt in Niedersachsen zu analysieren, wird in der vorliegenden Studie zum einen auf das Konzept der Substituierbarkeitspotenziale zurückgegriffen. Diese berechneten Potenziale bilden den Anteil an Tätigkeiten innerhalb eines jeweiligen Berufs ab, der durch den Einsatz von Computern und computergesteuerten Maschinen zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt bereits automatisiert werden könnte. Zum anderen wird ein Klimaindex berechnet, der anzeigt, für welche Branchen der Klimawandel und die daraus resultierende Klimapolitik überwiegend Chancen bereithält oder aber in erster Linie Risiken birgt. Die Ergebnisse der Studie deuten darauf hin, dass beide Megatrends für die untersuchten Teile der Wirtschaft Herausforderungen bergen. Diejenigen, die bisher durch die dynamische Entwicklung der Digitalisierung entstanden sind, erscheinen für größere Teile der Wirtschaft jedoch dringlicher. So steigt das Substituierbarkeitspotenzial im Beobachtungszeitraum von 2013 auf 2019 in nahezu allen untersuchten Branchen kontinuierlich an und erreicht zum Teil Werte von deutlich über 70 Prozent. Hierin kommt die Schwierigkeit zum Ausdruck, dass die Umsetzung von Maßnahmen zur Anpassung beruflicher Inhalte häufig nicht mit der hohen Geschwindigkeit mithalten kann, mit welcher in steter Folge Innovationen Marktreife erlangen und sich daraufhin Rahmenbedingungen verändern. Im besten Fall finden notwendige Anpassungsprozesse nur zeitverzögert statt, im schlechtesten bleiben sie aus. Mit Blick auf den berechneten Klimaindex kann der überwiegenden Mehrheit der analysierten Branchen attestiert werden, dass sich die Chancen und Risiken, die sich für diese im Beobachtungszeitraum aus dem Klimawandel und der daraus resultierenden Klimapolitik potenziell ergeben, die Waage halten dürften. In jenen Branchen, in denen überwiegend potenziell negative Impulse zu erwarten sind und die zudem hohe Substituierbarkeitspotenziale aufweisen, sind strukturelle Veränderungen in der Beschäftigung, der Produktion bzw. Leistungserbringung und/oder in den Geschäftsmodellen als Anpassungsreaktion am ehesten und umfassendsten zu erwarten. Zu diesen Branchen gehören unter anderem die Chemie sowie die Metallerzeugung und -bearbeitung." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Zika, Gerd, Florian Bernardt, Markus Hummel, Michael Kalinowski, Tobias Maier, Anke Mönnig, Christian Schneemann & Marc Ingo Wolter (2022): Auswirkung des Strukturwandels für die Bundesländer in der langen Frist - Qualifikations- und Berufsprojektion bis 2040. (IAB-Forschungsbericht 22/2022), Nürnberg, 28 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FB.2222

Abstract

"Die Bundesländer in Deutschland unterscheiden sich in ihrer Bevölkerungs- und Wirtschaftsstruktur und sie weisen deshalb auch unterschiedliche Arbeitskräfteengpässe und -überhänge auf. Aufgrund ihrer verschiedenartigen Entwicklungen werden auch künftig Unterschiede im Arbeitsmarktgeschehen der Bundesländer bestehen. Mit Hilfe des sogenannten QuBe-Modellverbundes (7. Welle der QuBe-Basisprojektion) werden langfristige immanente Megatrends wie die demografische Entwicklung, der wirtschaftliche Strukturwandel und die Digitalisierung im Modell selbst erfasst und die Auswirkungen auf Wirtschaft und Arbeitsmarkt sichtbar gemacht. Die Analyse zeigt, dass trotz der veränderten Arbeits- und Verhaltensweisen im Zuge der Covid 19-Pandemie und der aktuellen Energiekrise das künftige Arbeitsmarktgeschehen in der langen Frist zu einem großen Teil von der demografischen Entwicklung und damit von einem zunehmenden Bevölkerungsrückgang geprägt ist. Dementsprechend ist das Arbeitskräfteangebot in zehn von sechzehn Bundesländern bis zum Jahr 2040 rückläufig, besonders stark in den östlichen Bundesländern. Ausnahmen sind Baden-Württemberg, Bayern und Hessen sowie die Stadtstaaten Berlin, Bremen und Hamburg. Dies führt dazu, dass der Arbeitskräftebedarf ebenfalls fast überall abnimmt. Abgesehen von Bayern, Schleswig-Holstein und Hamburg ist in allen Bundesländern mit einer rückläufigen Erwerbslosenquote zu rechnen, so dass von Engpässen in verschiedenen Wirtschaftsbereichen und Berufen auszugehen ist. Somit dürfte die Rekrutierung von Arbeitskräften in vielen Wirtschaftsbereichen und Regionen in der längeren Frist zunehmend schwieriger werden. Dies betrifft in besonderer Weise das Gesundheitswesen oder den Bereich der IT-Dienstleistungen, zwei Branchen deren Bedarf an qualifiziertem Personal kontinuierlich wächst. Ebenfalls schwieriger wird die Rekrutierung in produzierenden/technischen Berufen, in welchen eine hohe Zahl an Personen mit einer beruflichen Qualifizierung in den Ruhestand gehen. Umso wichtiger ist es, dass die deutsche Wirtschaft nach dem Einbruch, der durch die steigenden Energiekosten als Folge des Angriffs auf die Ukraine verursacht wurde, wieder auf ihren ursprünglichen Wachstumspfad zurückkehrt. Nur dann kann einer Verfestigung von Arbeitslosigkeit und einem verstärkten Rückzug aus dem Arbeitsmarkt effektiv entgegengewirkt werden (Hutter/Weber 2020; Fuchs/Weber/Weber 2020). Verschärfen doch Personen, die sich dauerhaft vom Arbeitsmarkt zurückziehen, die Rekrutierungssituation aus Sicht der Arbeitgeberinnen und Arbeitgeber. Der durch die Pandemie und die Energiekrise wohl eher noch beschleunigte Strukturwandel, stellt schon jetzt gerade die Bundesländer, in denen das Verarbeitende Gewerbe stark ist, vor große Herausforderungen. Digitalisierung und Dekarbonisierung erfordern eine permanente Modernisierung und Innovationsfähigkeit der deutschen Wirtschaft. Will man deren Wettbewerbsfähigkeit nicht aufs Spiel setzen, sind gut qualifizierte Arbeitskräfte unverzichtbar. Dies setzt nicht zuletzt die Bereitschaft zu lebenslangem Lernen voraus. Zugleich muss der Standort Deutschlands für qualifizierte Migrantinnen und Migranten, die am Arbeitsmarkt dringend benötigt werden, attraktiv bleiben. Detaillierte Ergebnisse können den Arbeitsmarktdossiers zu einzelnen Bundesländern entnommen werden (www.QuBe-Dossiers.de)." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Acemoglu, Daron & Pascual Restrepo (2021): Tasks, Automation, and the Rise in US Wage Inequality. (NBER working paper 28920), Cambridge, MA, 106 S. DOI:10.3386/w28920

Abstract

"We document that between 50% and 70% of changes in the US wage structure over the last four decades are accounted for by the relative wage declines of worker groups specialized in routine tasks in industries experiencing rapid automation. We develop a conceptual framework where tasks across a number of industries are allocated to different types of labor and capital. Automation technologies expand the set of tasks performed by capital, displacing certain worker groups from employment opportunities for which they have comparative advantage. This framework yields a simple equation linking wage changes of a demographic group to the task displacement it experiences. We report robust evidence in favor of this relationship and show that regression models incorporating task displacement explain much of the changes in education differentials between 1980 and 2016. Our task displacement variable captures the effects of automation technologies (and to a lesser degree offshoring) rather than those of rising market power, markups or deunionization, which themselves do not appear to play a major role in US wage inequality. We also propose a methodology for evaluating the full general equilibrium effects of task displacement (which include induced changes in industry composition and ripple effects as tasks are reallocated across different groups). Our quantitative evaluation based on this methodology explains how major changes in wage inequality can go hand-in-hand with modest productivity gains." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Achatz, Juliane, Frank Bauer, Mario Bossler, Wolfgang Braun, Kerstin Bruckmeier, Herbert Brücker, Christine Dauth, Katharina Dengler, Hans Dietrich, Martin Dietz, Bernd Fitzenberger, Johann Fuchs, Hermann Gartner, Nicole Gürtzgen, Christian Hohendanner, Christian Hutter, Elke Jahn, Markus Janser, Simon Janssen, Thomas Kruppe, Alexander Kubis, Julia Lang, Ute Leber, Florian Lehmer & Torsten Lietzmann (2021): Zentrale Befunde zu aktuellen Arbeitsmarktthemen 2021/2022. Nürnberg, 20 S.

Abstract

"Digitalisierung, Dekarbonisierung und demografischer Wandel werden den Arbeitsmarkt in den kommenden Jahren erheblich verändern. Handlungsbedarf besteht beispielsweise bei der Sicherung des Arbeitskräftebedarfs – und damit verbunden bei der Förderung der Aus- und Weiterbildung –, bei der Reform der Grundsicherung für Arbeitsuchende und bei der sozialen Absicherung von Solo-Selbständigen. Die Covid-19-Pandemie hat die Situation in mancherlei Hinsicht zusätzlich verschärft. Zu all diesen und zahlreichen weiteren wichtigen Themen fasst die IAB-Broschüre „Zentrale Befunde zu aktuellen Arbeitsmarktthemen“ die zentralen wissenschaftlichen Befunde kompakt zusammen. Sie bietet zudem Handlungsempfehlungen für die Arbeitsmarktpolitik, die aus den wissenschaftlichen Befunden abgeleitet wurden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Bertinelli, Luisito, Olivier Cardi & Romain Restout (2021): Labor Market Effects Of Technology Shocks Biased Toward The Traded Sector. (Documents de travail / Bureau d'Économie Théorique et Appliquée 2021-09), Sraßburg, 154 S.

Abstract

"Motivated by recent evidence pointing at an increasing contribution of asymmetric shocks across sectors to economic fluctuations, we explore the labor market effects of technology shocks biased toward the traded sector. Our VAR evidence for seventeen OECD countries reveals that the non-traded sector alone drives the increase in total hours worked following a technology shock that increases permanently traded relative to non-traded TFP. The shock gives rise to a reallocation of labor which contributes to 35% on average of the rise in non-traded hours worked. Both labor reallocation and variations in labor income shares are found empirically connected with factor-biased technological change. Our quantitative analysis shows that a two-sector open economy model with flexible prices can reproduce the labor market effects we document empirically once we allow for technological change biased toward labor together with additional specific elements. When calibrating the model to country-specific data, its ability to account for the cross-country reallocation and redistributive effects we estimate increases once we let factor-biased technological change vary between sectors and across countries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bonin, Holger, Susanne Steffes, Annette Hillerich-Sigg, Annabelle Krause-Pilatus & Ulf Rinne (2021): Auswirkungen der Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelt auf die Erwerbstätigkeit von Frauen. Kurzexpertise im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Arbeit und Soziales. (IZA research report 107), Bonn, 57 S.

Abstract

"Der digitale Wandel verändert die Beschäftigungschancen in einzelnen Branchen und Berufen unterschiedlich, und auch der digitale Wandel am individuellen Arbeitsplatz kann sich in Form und Intensität sehr verschieden gestalten. Wegen der anhaltenden Geschlechterunterschiede in der Arbeitswelt könnten die mit der Digitalisierung einhergehenden Veränderungen die Beschäftigungs- und Einkommenschancen von Frauen systematisch anders verändern als Männer. Dabei schafft der technologische Wandel am Arbeitsmarkt sowohl Risiken, dass sich die Disparitäten zwischen den Geschlechtern vergrößern, als auch Chancen für Frauen, ihre Stellung im Arbeitsmarkt im Verhältnis zu den Männern zu verbessern. Vor diesem Hintergrund gibt diese Kurzexpertise einen fundierten Überblick über die Erkenntnisse der nationalen und internationalen Forschung zu den Chancen und Risiken, die der digitale Wandel am Arbeitsmarkt spezifisch für Frauen mit sich bringen kann." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Buss, Klaus-Peter, Martin Kuhlmann, Marliese Weißmann, Harald Wolf & Birgit Apitzsch (Hrsg.) (2021): Digitalisierung und Arbeit. Triebkräfte - Arbeitsfolgen - Regulierung. (International Labour studies 28), Frankfurt am Main: Campus, 372 S.

Abstract

"Seit Jahren wird unter dem Schlagwort "Digitalisierung" über den sozioökonomischen Strukturwandel und die Zukunft der Arbeit diskutiert. Die Aussagen der Forschung bleiben allerdings oftmals unverbunden und widersprüchlich. Vor diesem Hintergrund setzt der Band Befunde des Soziologischen Forschungsinstituts Göttingen (SOFI) aus verschiedenen Branchen zueinander in Beziehung und fragt nach Triebkräften, Wirkungen und Gestaltbarkeit von Digitalisierung. Die Autor*innen zeichnen als Beitrag zur soziologischen Digitalisierungsforschung ein facettenreiches Bild der Digitalisierung und ihrer Bedeutung für die Arbeit. Der Band bietet Orientierungswissen für die an der Digitalisierung beteiligten Akteur*innen in Betrieben, Verbänden und in der Politik und diskutiert Ansatzpunkte für eine humane Gestaltung digitaler Arbeitswelten." (Verlagsangaben, © 2021 - campus Verlag)

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Damioli, Giacomo, Vincent Van Roy, Daniel Vertesy & Marco Vivarelli (2021): May AI Revolution Be Labour-Friendly? Some Micro Evidence from the Supply Side. (IZA discussion paper 14309), Bonn, 25 S.

Abstract

"This study investigates the possible job-creation impact of AI technologies, focusing on the supply side, namely the providers of the new knowledge base. The empirical analysis is based on a worldwide longitudinal dataset of 3,500 front-runner companies that patented the relevant technologies over the period 2000-2016. Obtained from GMM-SYS estimates, our results show a positive and significant impact of AI patent families on employment, supporting the labour-friendly nature of product innovation in the AI supply industries. However, this effect is small in magnitude and limited to service sectors and younger firms, which are the leading actors of the AI revolution. Finally, some evidence of increasing returns seems to emerge; indeed, the innovative companies which are more focused on AI technologies are those obtaining the larger impacts in terms of job creation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dehnbostel, Peter, Götz Richter, Thomas Schröder & Anita Tisch (Hrsg.) (2021): Kompetenzentwicklung in der digitalen Arbeitswelt. Zukünftige Anforderungen und berufliche Lernchancen. Stuttgart: Schäffer-Poeschel, 287 S.

Abstract

"Die digitale Transformation verändert viele Bereiche des Arbeitens und Lernens. Zentraler Fixpunkt des Buches ist die Frage nach einer Kompetenzentwicklung für junge Menschen, die sie befähigt, an einer zukünftigen Arbeitswelt zu partizipieren − auch wenn deren technologische und arbeitsorganisatorische Ausprägungen heute kaum zu prognostizieren sind. Die Beiträge betrachten arbeits- und gesellschaftspolitische Herausforderungen, mögliche Folgen für Arbeitsmarkt, Berufs- und Berufsbildungssystem, Anforderungen und Chancen für die betriebliche Nutzung und die Kompetenz der Beschäftigten sowie Veränderungen der beruflichen und schulischen Bildung." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Demirel, Pelin, Ekaterina Nemkova & Rebecca Taylor (2021): Reproducing Global Inequalities in the Online Labour Market: Valuing Capital in the Design Field. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 35, H. 5, S. 914-930. DOI:10.1177/0950017020942447

Abstract

"Millions of freelancers work on digital platforms in the online labour market (OLM). The OLM´s capacity to both undermine and reproduce labour inequalities is a theme in contemporary platform economy debates. What is less well understood is how processes of social (re)production take place in practice for diverse freelancers on global platforms. Drawing on a study of freelance designers, we use Bourdieus notions of capital and field to explore the specific rules of the game and the symbolic valuing of skills and identities that secure legitimacy and advantage in the OLM. We contribute to contemporary debates by illuminating the power of Global North actors to shape freelancer positions and hierarchies in the online design field. The cost advantages of Global South workers are counterbalanced by the symbolic legitimising of specific cultural and social practices (specifically in relation to language) and the devaluing of others." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ferschli, Benjamin, Miriam Rehm, Matthias Schnetzer & Stella Zilian (2021): Digitalization, Industry Concentration, and Productivity in Germany. In: Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik, Jg. 241, H. 5/6, S. 623-665. DOI:10.1515/jbnst-2020-0058

Abstract

"This paper investigates the links of digitalization and industry concentration with labor productivity at the sectoral level in Germany. Combining data for digitalization and labor productivity from the EU KLEMS database with firm-level data from the CompNet and Orbis Bureau Van Dijk databases to construct industry concentration measures between 2000 and 2015, we show that (1) the German economy appears to have digitized since 2000, and (2) there is no clear-cut relationship between digitalization and market concentration at the industry level. Using a time and sector fixed effects model and controlling for capital intensity, however, we find evidence for (3) a positive effect of both lagged industry concentration and lagged digitalization on productivity at the sectoral level in Germany. This finding is robust to alternative measures of digitalization and industry concentration as well as to their interaction but sensitive to the sector sample and to scale effects from the capital intensity. We, therefore, cautiously conclude that recent technological change appears to have been labor-saving and that productivity-enhancing aspect of a partial “superstar firm” effect may be identified in the German economy, in particular in its manufacturing sector." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © De Gruyter) ((en))

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Foster-McGregor, Neil, Önder Nomaler & Bart Verspagen (2021): Job Automation Risk, Economic Structure and Trade: a European Perspective. In: Research Policy, Jg. 50, H. 7. DOI:10.1016/j.respol.2021.104269

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Fudurich, James, Lena Suchanek & Lise Pichette (2021): Adoption of digital technologies. Insights from a global survey initiative. (Staff discussion paper / Bank of Canada 2021-7), Ottawa, 44 S.

Abstract

"The Bank of Canada, together with a global network of central banks, recently surveyed more than 6,000 firms from around the world. Using the survey data, this paper assesses the effects of digitalization on firms’ pricing and employment decisions. Specifically, we examine firms’ expectations about how their adoption of digital technologies—such as e-commerce, cloud computing, big data, 3-D printing, the Internet of Things, robotics and artificial intelligence— will affect their prices and hiring plans. Digital technologies influence firms’ operations in several ways that can often offset each other. This makes it difficult to pin down the overall impact on prices. Survey results for Canada suggest that some firms expect some downward pressure on prices from (1) efficiency gains, for example from automation, made possible by digital technology and (2) increased online competition and cost compression in the supply chain. Other firms expect that the value added to their products from adopting digital technologies will allow them to charge higher prices. In addition, some firms anticipate that they will have to pass on the costs of adoption to customers. Firms also expect a marginal negative effect on their employment over the next three years as a result of technology-induced automation or productivity gains. This negative effect will largely be offset by more hiring of digital talent or to accommodate stronger sales. Using matching techniques to control for differences in sample size and composition as well as survey frames, we find that, compared with small and medium-sized firms, large firms are more likely to adopt digital technologies and more likely to expect negative effects on both employment and prices" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Genz, Sabrina, Terry Gregory, Markus Janser, Florian Lehmer & Britta Matthes (2021): How Do Workers Adjust When Firms Adopt New Technologies? (IZA discussion paper 14626), Bonn, 56 S.

Abstract

"We investigate how workers adjust to firms' investments into new digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, augmented reality, or 3D printing. For this, we collected novel data that links survey information on firms' technology adoption to administrative social security data. We then compare individual outcomes between workers employed at technology adopters relative to non-adopters. Depending on the type of technology, we find evidence for improved employment stability, higher wage growth, and increased cumulative earnings in response to digital technology adoption. These beneficial adjustments seem to be driven by technologies used by service providers rather than manufacturers. However, the adjustments do not occur equally across worker groups: IT-related expert jobs with non-routine analytic tasks benefit most from technological upgrading, coinciding with highly complex job requirements, but not necessarily with more academic skills." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Haslberger, Matthias (2021): Routine-biased technological change does not always lead to polarisation: Evidence from 10 OECD countries, 1995–2013. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 74. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2021.100623

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Hutschenreiter, Dennis C., Tommaso Santini & Eugenia Vella (2021): Automation and Sectoral Reallocation. (Working paper series / Athens University of Economics and Business, Department of International and European Economic Studies 2021-06), Athen, 33 S.

Abstract

"Empirical evidence in Dauth et al. (2021) suggests that industrial robot adoption in Germany has led to a sectoral reallocation of employment from manufacturing to services, leaving total employment unaffected. We rationalize this evidence through the lens of a general equilibrium model with two sectors, matching frictions, and endogenous participation. Automation induces firms to create fewer vacancies and job seekers to search less in the automatable sector (manufacturing). The service sector expands due to the sectoral complementarity in the production of the final good and a positive wealth effect for the household. Analysis across steady states shows that the reduction in manufacturing employment can be offset by the increase in service employment. The model can also replicate the magnitude of the decline in the ratio of manufacturing employment to service employment in Germany between 1994 and 2014." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jost, Oskar & Holger Seibert (2021): Potenzielle Auswirkungen der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung auf den Arbeitsmarkt in Berlin und Brandenburg. (IAB-Regional. Berichte und Analysen aus dem Regionalen Forschungsnetz. IAB Berlin-Brandenburg 03/2021), Nürnberg, 25 S.

Abstract

"Mit der Weiterentwicklung von Technologien, Computern und computergesteuerten Maschinen und Anlagen verändern sich auch die Substituierbarkeitspotenziale der Berufe. Darunter versteht man den Umfang, in dem die Kerntätigkeiten von Beschäftigten durch Technik ersetzt werden könnten. In diesem Beitrag untersuchen wir die potenziellen Auswirkungen der Digitalisierung auf den Arbeitsmarkt in Berlin und Brandenburg und gehen damit der Frage nach, in welchem Ausmaß nach dem Stand der Technik Ende 2019 die Beschäftigten in der Region Berlin-Brandenburg vom Substituierbarkeitspotenzial der Berufe betroffen sind." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Klump, Rainer, Anne Jurkat & Florian Schneider (2021): Tracking the rise of robots: A survey of the IFR database and its applications. (MPRA paper / University Library of Munich 110390), München, 73 S.

Abstract

"Robots are continuously transforming industrial production worldwide and thereby also inducing changes in a variety of production-related economic and social relations. While some observers call this transformation an unprecedented "revolution", others regard it as a common pattern of capitalist development. This paper contributes to the literature on the effects of the rise of industrial robots in three ways. Firstly, we describe the historic evolution and organizational structure of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), which collects data on the international distribution of industrial robots by country, industry, and application from industrial robot suppliers worldwide since 1993. Secondly, we extensively analyze this IFR dataset on industrial robots and point out its specificities and limitations. We develop a correspondence table between the IFR industry classification and the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) Revision 4 and shed some light on the price development of industrial robots by compiling data on robot price indices. We further compute implicit depreciation rates inherent to the operational stocks of robots in the IFR dataset and find an average depreciation rate of aggregate robot stocks between 4% and 7% per year between 1993 and 2019. Moreover, tracking the share of industrial robots that are not classified to any industry or application we find that their share in total robot stocks has sharply declined after 2005. We also compare IFR data with other data sources such as UN Comtrade data on net imports and unit prices of industrial robots or data on robot adoption from firm-level surveys in selected countries. Thirdly, we provide a comprehensive overview of the empirical research on industrial robots that is based on the IFR dataset. We identify four important strands of research on the rise of robots: (i) patterns of robot adoption and industrial organization, (ii) productivity and growth effect of robot adoption, (iii) its impact on employment and wages, and (iv) its influence on demographics, health, and politics." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kogan, Leonid, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Lawrence D. W. Schmidt & Bryan Seegmiller (2021): Technology-Skill Complementarity and Labor Displacement: Evidence from Linking Two Centuries of Patents with Occupations. (NBER working paper 29552), Cambridge, Mass, 66 S. DOI:10.3386/w29552

Abstract

"We construct new technology indicators using textual analysis of patent documents and occupation task descriptions that span almost two centuries (1850–2010). At the industry level, improvements in technology are associated with higher labor productivity but a decline in the labor share. Exploiting variation in the extent certain technologies are related to specific occupations, we show that technological innovation has been largely associated with worse labor market outcomes—wages and employment—for incumbent workers in related occupations using a combination of public-use and confidential administrative data. Panel data on individual worker earnings reveal that less educated, older, and more highly-paid workers experience significantly greater declines in average earnings and earnings risk following related technological advances. We reconcile these facts with the standard view of technology-skill complementarity using a model that allows for skill displacement." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kürschner, Kay, Benedikt Schreiter, Sebastian Schwidder & Marie Klemsmann (2021): Branchenanalyse Textilmaschinenbau. Strukturen, Trends und Herausforderungen. (Hans-Böckler-Stiftung. Working paper Forschungsförderung 212), Düsseldorf, 49 S.

Abstract

"Der Textilmaschinenbau ist eine der traditionsreichsten Teilbranchen des Maschinenbaus. In den vergangenen Jahrzehnten sah sich der Textilmaschinenbau mit weitreichenden Transformationsprozessen konfrontiert. In dieser Branchenanalyse werden die strukturellen Veränderungen, Trends und Entwicklungen herausgearbeitet und im Hinblick auf ihre Auswirkungen auf die Beschäftigten und deren Interessenvertreterinnen und Interessenvertreter untersucht. Ein besonderes Augenmerk wird auf die Themenfelder Globalisierung, demographischer Wandel und Fachkräftesicherung, Automatisierung und Digitalisierung sowie umweltfreundliche Produktion und Ressourceneffizienz gelegt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Martins-Neto, Antonio, Nanditha Mathew, Pierre Mohnen & Tania Treibich (2021): Is There Job Polarization in Developing Economies? A Review and Outlook. (CESifo working paper 9444), München, 45 S.

Abstract

"This paper analyses the evidence of job polarization in developing countries. We carry out an extensive review of the existing empirical literature and examine the primary data sources and measures of routine intensity. The synthesis of results suggests that job polarization in emerging economies is only incipient compared to other advanced economies. We then examine the possible moderating aspects preventing job polarization, discussing the main theoretical channels and the existing empirical literature. Overall, the literature relates the lack of polarization as a natural consequence of limited technology adoption and the offshoring of routine, middle-earning jobs to some host developing economies. In turn, the limited technology adoption results from suboptimal capabilities in those economies, including the insufficient supply of educated workers. Finally, we present the main gaps in the literature in developing economies and point to the need for more micro-level studies focusing on the impacts of technology adoption on workers' careers and studies exploring the adoption and use of technologies at the firm level." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pouliakas, Konstantinos (2021): Artificial intelligence and job automation. An EU analysis using online job vacancy data. (CEDEFOP working paper series 2021,06), Thessaloniki, 54 S. DOI:10.2801/305373

Abstract

"Not long before the coronavirus outbreak, fears about artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and machines resulting in a jobless society were widespread. Concerns have resurfaced in light of the COVID-19 crisis potentially accentuating automation. This study utilises a novel big data set based on online job advertisements – Cedefop’s Skills OVATE – with information on the skills and work activities required by EU employers. The data provide insight into the task profiles of detailed occupations faced with higher automation risk or those relying on alternative digital technologies (robots, computer software, AI). The paper explores suitable machine and deep learning models to test how well a parsimonious set of task indicators can predict occupational automatability. Work activities associated with greater occupational automation risk and robot exposure (e.g. inspecting equipment, performing physical activities), typically concentrated in routine or manual jobs, differ from those prominent in occupations with higher AI exposure (e.g. thinking creatively, evaluating standards)." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ritschel, Gregor & Thomas Müller (Hrsg.) (2021): Digital arbeiten. (Berliner Debatte Initial Jg. 32,3), Potsdam: WeltTrends, 165 S.

Abstract

"„Zoom Fatigue“, zu Deutsch „Videokonferenz-Erschöpfung“, ist vielleicht das neueste Phänomen eines zunehmend digitalisierten Büroalltags. Seit der Corona-Pandemie und dem notgedrungenen Umzug ins Home-Office sind Videokonferenzen allgegenwärtig. Zum digitalen Arbeiten gehören heute außerdem kollaborative Tools, die Echtzeiteinblicke in die Arbeitsfortschritte von Teams gewähren, sowie Applikationen und KI-Elemente, die Arbeitsprozesse erleichtern sollen. Digitales Arbeiten wird dadurch transparenter, jedoch in einer Weise, die für die Beschäftigten in der Regel intransparent ist. Dadurch verändern sich die Möglichkeiten der Überwachung und die Modi der Fremd- und Selbstkontrolle." (Verlagsangaben, IAB-Doku)

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Schneemann, Christian, Gerd Zika, Michael Kalinowski, Tobias Maier, Bennet Krebs, Stefanie Steeg, Florian Bernardt, Anke Mönnig, Frederik Parton, Philip Ulrich & Marc Ingo Wolter (2021): Methodische Erläuterungen zur aktualisierten BMAS-Prognose „Digitalisierte Arbeitswelt“. (Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales. Forschungsbericht 526), Berlin, 50 S.

Abstract

"In diesen Bericht werden die methodische Weiterentwicklung und die Annahmen der aktualisierten BMAS-Prognose „Digitalisierte Arbeitswelt“ näher erläutert. Er dient als Ergänzung zur aktualisierten BMAS-Prognose, um eine bessere Verständlichkeit zu gewährleisten. Redaktionsschluss für diesen Bericht war der 31. Oktober 2020." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Schneider-Dörr, Andreja (2021): Crowd Work und Plattformökonomie. Eine arbeitsrechtliche Fallstudie. (Arbeitsrechtliche Schriften 4), Baden-Baden: Nomos, 479 S. DOI:10.5771/9783748924548

Abstract

"Die Arbeit wendet sich der Frage zu, ob Crowd Worker auf Microtask Plattformen als ArbeitnehmerInnen einzuordnen sind. Seit Jahren ist das aus der Sicht des Arbeitsrechts umstritten, jedoch mit einer gewissen Tendenz, es eher zu verneinen. Das BAG urteilte jedoch im Dezember 2020, dass ein Crowd Worker durchaus Arbeitnehmer sein kann. Wie sind also die Umstände zu werten, die einen Crowd Worker zum (Nicht-) Arbeitnehmer machen? Das untersucht diese Arbeit. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit erfolgt ein Review verschiedener Studien zu Crowd Work, sowie eine Analyse zur Funktionsweise von Plattformen. Dabei werden auch ökonomische und organisationssoziologische betrachtet. Im zweiten Teil werden konkrete Fallanalysen aus einem Selbstversuch dargestellt, um diese arbeitsrechtlich bewerten zu können. Im dritten Teil werden zwei Aspekte eröffnet, zum einen, wie sich die Divergenz zwischen nationalem und dem europarechtlichen Arbeitnehmerbegriff bei Crowd Work erneut offenbart. Zum anderen werden neue Formen der Regulierung angestoßen: Passt beispielsweise die P2B-VO 2019/1150 nicht auf viele Probleme der Plattformarbeit? Wie ist es um ihre Anwendbarkeit auf Plattformarbeit bestellt? Wie sieht es mit aus mit „regulation by design“? Schließlich ist insgesamt zu überlegen, wie das Arbeitsrecht mit neuen Arbeitsformen und vor allem Formen neuer Organisationsmethoden zurecht kommt." (Autorenreferat, © 2021 Nomos)

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Staples, Ronald & Michael Whittall (2021): The dilemma of social media for German work councils representing qualified employees - the case of a German car manufacturer. In: New Technology, Work and Employment, Jg. 36, H. 2, S. 140-158. DOI:10.1111/ntwe.12175

Abstract

"The world of work is undergoing huge changes as a result of digitalisation. Part of this transformation process involves a growing demand for skilled employees - a section of the workforce that appears increasingly less reliant on the representative services provided by works councils. In the following article, we consider works council?s use of ICT tools to re-engage with skilled employees, noting that current institutional and cultural contingencies appear to hinder its employment of ICT tools." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Wacks, Johannes (2021): Labor Market Polarization with Hand-to-Mouth Households. (Beiträge zur Jahrestagung des Vereins für Socialpolitik 2021: Climate Economics), Kiel, 73 S.

Abstract

"Over the recent decades, wide-spread automation has led to a shift of the US labor force from occupations intensive in routine tasks into occupations intensive in manual and abstract tasks. I integrate routine-biased technological change into an incomplete markets model with occupation-specific human capital. I use the model to study the transition between steady states pre and post labor market polarization in general equilibrium. When human capital is occupation-specific and wages in the routine occupations relative to the other occupations fall over time, occupational choices become dynamic investment decisions. When households are close to the borrowing constraint, their occupational choices are distorted and they optimally choose to work in the routine occupations for longer than households who have accumulated a buffer stock of savings. I show that in a counterfactual economy, in which all workers choose occupations as if they were hand-to-mouth, the fall in routine labor is protracted by about three years compared to what was actually observed. I use the model to discuss several labor market policies. Incentivizing experienced routine workers to switch to the manual or abstract occupations, by paying them a government transfer, increases social welfare and average output. Empirically, I show that the friction I study is highly relevant, as about 34% of the households working in routine occupations live hand-to-mouth." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Weber, Enzo (2021): Digitalisierung und Arbeitsmarkt: Wirkungen und Herausforderungen. In: J. Muckenhuber, M. Griesbach, J. Hödl & L. Zilian (Hrsg.) (2021): Disruption der Arbeit? Zu den Folgen der Digitalisierung im Dienstleistungssektor, S. 21-30.

Abstract

"Die öffentliche Diskussion über die Zukunft der Arbeit im Zeitalter der Digitalisierung wird von Vorstellungen von selbstfahrenden Autos, menschenleeren Fabriken oder vollautomatischer Logistik dominiert. Dies schafft Ängste vor einem massiven Verlust von Arbeitsplätzen und einem Rückgang der Beschäftigung in der Zukunft. Gleichzeitig hat dies zu intensiven Debatten über ein bedingungsloses Grundeinkommen geführt: Während die Produktivität steigen würde, würde ein deutlicher Rückgang der Zahl der Arbeitsplätze den Einkommensverteilungsmechanismus in Frage stellen, auf welchem unsere Arbeitsgesellschaften derzeit beruhen. Dieser Beitrag argumentiert, dass die Ersetzung bestehender Arbeitsplätze - oder zumindest von Aufgaben - durch Technologie zwar erfolgen wird und immer stattgefunden hat, dies aber nur eine Seite der Medaile ist. Die Zukuft der Arbeitsmärkte wird komplexer sein. Dies wird in der makroökonomischen, betrieblichen und internationalen Dimension diskutiert." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Wolcott, Erin L. (2021): Employment inequality: Why do the low-skilled work less now? In: Journal of monetary economics, Jg. 118, S. 161-177. DOI:10.1016/j.jmoneco.2020.09.004

Abstract

"Low-skilled prime-age men are less likely to be employed than high-skilled prime-age men, and the differential has increased since the 1970s. I build a search model encompassing three explanations: (1) automation and trade reduced the demand for low-skilled workers; (2) health, welfare, and recreational gaming/computer technology reduced the supply of low-skilled workers; and (3) factors affecting job search, such as online job boards, reduced frictions for high-skilled workers. I find a shift in demand away from low-skilled workers was the leading cause, a shift in supply had little effect, and search frictions actually reduced employment inequality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2021 Elsevier) ((en))

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Wrobel, Martin & Jörg Althoff (2021): Entwicklung der Substituierbarkeitspotenziale auf dem Arbeitsmarkt in Niedersachsen und Bremen von 2013 bis 2019. (IAB-Regional. Berichte und Analysen aus dem Regionalen Forschungsnetz. IAB Niedersachsen-Bremen 01/2021), Nürnberg, 72 S.

Abstract

"Um die Auswirkungen der Digitalisierung auf den Arbeitsmarkt in Niedersachsen und Bremen zu analysieren, greifen wir auf die von Dengler und Matthes (vgl. 2015b, 2018, 2021) für 2013, 2016 und 2019 berechneten Anteile der Tätigkeiten, die innerhalb eines Berufs durch den Einsatz von Computern oder computergesteuerten Maschinen ersetzt werden könnten, zurück. Im Beobachtungszeitraum sind diese Anteile, auch Substituierbarkeitspotenziale genannt, bundesweit wie auch in den Ländern Niedersachsen und Bremen in nahezu allen Berufssegmenten deutlich gestiegen. Mit 35,4 Prozent in Niedersachsen und 34,7 Prozent in Bremen im Jahr 2019 fällt der Anteil der Beschäftigungsverhältnisse, die ein hohes Substituierbarkeitspotenzial (> 70 Prozent) aufweisen, insgesamt höher aus als im Bund (33,9 Prozent), was vornehmlich auf die unterschiedliche Wirtschaftsstruktur zurückzuführen ist. 2013 lag der entsprechende Anteil im Bund noch bei 14,9, in Niedersachsen bei 15,1 und in Bremen bei 13,3 Prozent. Auf Ebene der Agenturbezirke bewegt sich der Anteil in 2019 zwischen 31,6 Prozent im Bezirk Hannover und 43,3 Prozent in Vechta. Auf Ebene der Kreise und kreisfreien Städte fällt die Spanne der Anteile mit 27,2 Prozent in Goslar und 48,9 Prozent in Salzgitter noch einmal größer aus. Auch mit Blick auf die einzelnen Anforderungsniveaus ist das Substituierbarkeitspotenzial auf allen Ebenen gestiegen. Während in Expertenberufen (Substituierbarkeitspotenzial: rund 26 Prozent in 2019) Tätigkeiten in einem vergleichsweise geringen Umfang von Computern oder computergesteuerten Maschinen übernommen werden könnten, liegt der Wert mit knapp 60 Prozent bei den Helfer- und rund 58 Prozent bei den Fachkraftberufen weit höher. Schließlich arbeiten zwar nach wie vor weniger Frauen als Männer in Berufen mit hohem Substituierbarkeitspotenzial, die Entwicklung zwischen 2013 und 2019 fiel aber für beide Geschlechter ähnlich dynamisch aus. So ist der Anteil der Frauen, die in Berufen arbeiten, die ein hohes Substituierbarkeitspotenzial aufweisen, um 19,3 Prozentpunkte auf 27,3 Prozent gestiegen; der Anteil der Männer wuchs zeitgleich um 18,6 Prozentpunkte auf 39,6 Prozent an. Auf Basis der Ergebnisse der Studie kann geschlussfolgert werden, dass lebenslanges Lernen, betriebsnahe Aus- und Weiterbildungsangebote sowie passgenaue Vermittlungen immer bedeutender werden, um den Herausforderungen der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelt zu begegnen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Abeliansky, Ana, Eda Algur, David E. Bloom & Klaus Prettner (2020): The future of work: Meeting the global challenges of demographic change and automation. In: International Labour Review, Jg. 159, H. 3, S. 285-306. DOI:10.1111/ilr.12168

Abstract

"This article explores future job creation needs under conditions of demographic, economic and technological change. The authors first estimate the implications for job creation during 2020-30 of population growth, changes in labour force participation and the achievement of target unemployment rates, by age and sex. Second, they analyse the job creation needs by country income group and, lastly, examine the effects of accelerated automation. Projections indicate that shifting demographics will account for a far greater share of the estimated global need for 340 million jobs over 2020-30 than automation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Acemoglu, Daron, David Autor, Jonathon Hazell & Pascual Restrepo (2020): AI and Jobs: Evidence from Online Vacancies. (NBER working paper 28257), Cambridge, MA, 53 S.

Abstract

"We study the impact of AI on labor markets, using establishment level data on vacancies with detailed occupational information comprising the near-universe of online vacancies in the US from 2010 onwards. We classify establishments as “AI exposed” when their workers engage in tasks that are compatible with current AI capabilities. We document rapid growth in AI related vacancies over 2010-2018 that is not limited to the Professional and Business Services and Information Technology sectors and is significantly greater in AI-exposed establishments. AI-exposed establishments are differentially eliminating vacancy postings that list a range of previously-posted skills while simultaneously posting skill requirements that were not previously listed. Establishment-level estimates suggest that AI-exposed establishments are reducing hiring in non-AI positions even as they expand AI hiring. However, we find no discernible impact of AI exposure on employment or wages at the occupation or industry level, implying that AI is currently substituting for humans in a subset of tasks but it is not yet having detectable aggregate labor market consequences." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Aksoy, Cevat Giray, Berkay Ozcan & Julia Philipp (2020): Robots and the Gender Pay Gap in Europe. (IZA discussion paper 13482), 48 S.

Abstract

"Could robotization make the gender pay gap worse? We provide the first large-scale evidence on the impact of industrial robots on the gender pay gap using data from 20 European countries. We show that robot adoption increases both male and female earnings but also increases the gender pay gap. Using an instrumental variable strategy, we find that a ten percent increase in robotization leads to a 1.8 percent increase in the gender pay gap. These results are mainly driven by countries with high levels of gender inequality and outsourcing destination countries. We then explore the mechanisms behind this effect and find that our results can be explained by the fact that men at medium- and high-skill occupations disproportionately benefit from robotization (through a productivity effect). We rule out the possibility that our results are driven by mechanical changes in the gender composition of the workforce nor by inflows or outflows from the manufacturing sector." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Antón, José-Ignacio, David Klenert, Enrique Fernández-Macías, Maria Cesira Urzì Brancati & Georgios Alaveras (2020): The labour market impact of robotisation in Europe. (JRC working papers series on labour, education and technology 2020,06), Sevilla, 32 S.

Abstract

"This paper explores the impact of robot adoption on European regional labour markets between 1995 and 2015. Specifically, we look at the effect of the usage of industrial robots on jobs and employment structures across European regions. We regress the outcome of interest on the change in the exposure to robotisation in each regional labour market, based on the initial distribution of employment by industry across regions. Our estimates suggest that the effect of robots on employment tends to be mostly small and negative during the period 1995-2005 and positive during the period 2005-2015 for the overwhelming majority of model specifications and assumptions. Regarding the effects on employment structures, we find some evidence of a mildly polarising effect in the first period, but this finding depends to some extent on the model specifications. In sum, this paper shows that the impact of robots on European labour markets in the last couple of decades has been small and ambiguous. The strength and even the sign of this effect are sensitive to the specifications, as well as to the countries and periods analysed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))