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Polkowska, Dominika & Bartosz Mika (2023): Is it possible to outsmart Uber? Individual working tactics within platform work in Poland. In: European Societies, Jg. 25, H. 4, S. 606-626. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2022.2156578

Abstract

"Platform work in general requires workers to apply specific strategies to stay afloat. In Poland, platform work is a complex system of mutual relations and interdependencies between transnational corporations, national regulators, service providers, intermediaries and platform workers. Based on thirty-one in-depth interviews with Uber drivers in Poland and two expert interviews with fleet partners, this article presents the working strategies adopted by platform workers and looks at how the historical experience of communism may shape responses to twenty-first-century global capitalism. The analysis shows that an adequate remuneration can only be made by adopting the strategy called kombinowanie, a combination of small cheating, fiddling and exploiting loopholes in the law." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Reljic, Jelena, Valeria Cirillo & Dario Guarascio (2023): Regimes of robotization in Europe. In: Economics Letters, Jg. 232. DOI:10.1016/j.econlet.2023.111320

Abstract

"This work analyses the impact of robots on employment testing for the presence of different robotization regimes. Focusing on European manufacturing industries, we find that robot adoption positively affects total employment. Heterogeneous patterns are detected across both countries and occupational groups, however. The labor-friendly impact of robotization is detected only in core and service-oriented countries and for those at the top of the occupational structure (i.e. managers and technicians). In turn, peripheral countries and manual workers do not seem to benefit at all from robotization." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 Elsevier) ((en))

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Reveiu, Adriana, Maria Denisa Vasilescu & Alexandru Banica (2023): Digital divide across the European Union and labour market resilience. In: Regional Studies, Jg. 57, H. 12, S. 2391-2405. DOI:10.1080/00343404.2022.2044465

Abstract

"Using a regional evolutionary perspective and a cross-regional data panel for 278 European Union regions, this study investigates the relationship between regional digital development and labour market resilience. To address a fundamental concern of regional studies, it proposes an analytical framework that assesses digital disparities in the spatial context and provides a nuanced understanding of digital dimensions impacting labour market resilience. The primary labour market outcome, the employment rate, was evaluated to investigate the regional resilience in the Great Recession. A gradient boosting method was used to identify the digital predictors in different resilience stages and to articulate policy-relevant conclusions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Tirabeni, Lia (2023): Bounded Well-Being: Designing Technologies for Workers' Well-Being in Corporate Programmes. In: Work, Employment and Society online erschienen am 19.10.2023. DOI:10.1177/09500170231203113

Abstract

"This article examines the relationship between workers’ well-being and digitalisation at work. It is based on the findings of a qualitative study carried out in a manufacturing company, and it focuses on the development of a wearable device for well-being. Using the analytical concepts of ‘translation’ and ‘inscription’ taken from Actor-Network Theory, it explores how digital technologies for well-being are designed in corporate programmes and shows how the final technology results from processes of inscription and translation performed by the actors involved in the design phase. The end device embodies a concept of well-being that has been called ‘bounded’ to emphasise how well-being at work is limited by organisational constraints. The article invites a rethinking of hedonic well-being at work as a precondition for eudaimonic well-being so that the human being is understood as a psychophysical unit that is part of a rich social context." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Torosyan, Karine, Sicheng Wang, Elizabeth A. Mack, Jenna A. Van Fossen & Nathan Baker (2023): Assessing the impact of technological change on similar occupations: Implications for employment alternatives. In: PLoS ONE, Jg. 18. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0291428

Abstract

"Background: The fast-changing labor market highlights the need for an in-depth understanding of occupational mobility impacted by technological change. However, we lack a multidimensional classification scheme that considers similarities of occupations comprehensively, which prevents us from predicting employment trends and mobility across occupations. This study fills the gap by examining employment trends based on similarities between occupations. Method: We first demonstrated a new method that clusters 756 occupation titles based on knowledge, skills, abilities, education, experience, training, activities, values, and interests. We used the Principal Component Analysis to categorize occupations in the Standard Occupational Classification, which is grouped into a four-level hierarchy. Then, we paired the occupation clusters with the occupational employment projections provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. We analyzed how employment would change and what factors affect the employment changes within occupation groups. Particularly, we specified factors related to technological changes. Results: The results reveal that technological change accounts for significant job losses in some clusters. This poses occupational mobility challenges for workers in these jobs at present. Job losses for nearly 60% of current employment will occur in low-skill, low-wage occupational groups. Meanwhile, many mid-skilled and highly skilled jobs are projected to grow in the next ten years. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the utility of our occupational classification scheme. Furthermore, it suggests a critical need for skills upgrading and workforce development for workers in declining jobs. Special attention should be paid to vulnerable workers, such as older individuals and minorities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Willcox, Michael & Brittany Feor (2023): Structural Changes in Canadian Employment from 1997 to 2022. (JRC working papers series on labour, education and technology 2023,08), Sevilla, 33 S.

Abstract

"This paper uses the European Jobs Monitor (2017) jobs' approach to examine the structural changes in employment and wages in Canada between 1997 and 2022. Changes in employment and real wages reveals a long-term pattern of upgrading, particularly after the 2008 financial crisis. There is variation in these patterns within the 25-year period including a shift towards higher quality jobs after the financial crisis and evidence of wage polarisation between 2020 and 2022. Employment and wage trends by sector, sex and age were explored. Employment shifted away from manufacturing towards the healthcare and social assistance, professional, scientific, and technical services, and construction sectors since the late 1990s which accelerated after the global financial crisis. The wage gap and difference in employment shares between men and women has narrowed over time, despite recent widening following the pandemic. Canada's aging population has resulted in a growing share of mature workers in the labour market and in core-age workers becoming more concentrated in mid-to-high wage jobs." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Wirth, Tanja & Stefanie Mache (2023): Gesundheitsförderliche Gestaltung von Digitalisierungsprozessen in Organisationen. Wissenschaftlicher Überblick von Anforderungen und Unterstützungsfaktoren für Beschäftigte. In: Arbeitsmedizin, Sozialmedizin, Umweltmedizin H. 58, S. 727-735. DOI:10.17147/asu-1-316850

Abstract

"Digitalisierungsprozesse können weitreichende arbeitsorganisatorische Veränderungen mit sich bringen und Einfluss auf die Arbeitsbedingungen von Beschäftigten nehmen. Der vorliegende Übersichtsartikel untersucht, welche Anforderungen und Unterstützungsfaktoren Beschäftigte im Zuge solcher Digitalisierungsprozesse erleben und wie diese gesundheitsförderlich gestaltet werden können. Methoden: Es wurde eine systematische Literaturrecherche in den Datenbanken PubMed und Web of Science durchgeführt. Eingeschlossen wurden deutsch- und englischsprachige Studien ab dem Jahr 2013, die konkrete Digitalisierungsmaßnahmen/-projekte in Unternehmen oder staatlichen Einrichtungen untersuchten und Ergebnisse zu den Auswirkungen der Digitalisierungsprozesse auf die Beschäftigten oder hinsichtlich der Prozessgestaltung beschrieben. Die Ergebnisdarstellung erfolgte als qualitative Zusammenfassung. Ergebnisse: Insgesamt wurden neun Studien in die Übersicht eingeschlossen. Fehlende Ziele, Strategien und Verantwortlichkeiten für die Implementierung der Digitalisierungsmaßnahme, Intransparenz, erhöhte Arbeitsbelastung sowie unzureichende Unterstützung und zeitliche Ressourcen können von Beschäftigten als Anforderung wahrgenommen werden. Umfangreiche Information, aktive Einbindung, Bereitstellung von Schulungsmaßnahmen und Unterstützung auf technischer Ebene und durch die Führung stellen dagegen Unterstützungsfaktoren im Prozess dar. Entsprechend bieten die Vorbereitung und Ausgestaltung des Prozesses, personelle Ressourcen, Unterstützungsmaßnahmen, Partizipation und Kommunikation relevante Möglichkeiten für eine gesundheitsförderliche Gestaltung des Digitalisierungsvorhabens. Schlussfolgerungen: Organisationen sollten mögliche Auswirkungen von Digitalisierungsprozessen für ihre Beschäftigten bereits zu Beginn der Maßnahme berücksichtigen und mitgestalten. Das kann gelingen, indem die Implementierung von Digitalisierungsmaßnahmen als ganzheitlicher Prozess verstanden wird, der ein Change-Management und Change-Leadership erfordert. Schlüsselwörter: Digitalisierung – digitale Transformation – Change-Management – betriebliche Gesundheitsförderung (eingegangen am 31.08.2023, angenommen am 12.10.2023)" (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Young, Erin, Judy Wajcman & Laila Sprejer (2023): Mind the gender gap: Inequalities in the emergent professions of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science. In: New Technology, Work and Employment, Jg. 38, H. 3, S. 391-414. DOI:10.1111/ntwe.12278

Abstract

"The emergence of new prestigious professions in data science and artificial intelligence (AI) provide a rare opportunity to explore the gendered dynamics of technical careers as they are being formed. In this paper, we contribute to the literature on gender inequality in digital work by curating and analysing a unique cross‐country data set. We use innovative data science methodology to investigate the nature of work and skills in these under‐researched fields. Our research finds persistent disparities in jobs, qualifications, seniority, industry, attrition and even self‐confidence in these fields. We identify structural inequality in data and AI, with career trajectories of professionals differentiated by gender, reflecting the broader history of computing. Our work is original in illuminating gendering processes within elite high‐tech jobs as they are being configured. Paying attention to these nascent fields is crucial if we are to ensure that women take their rightful place at forefront of technological innovation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Zhang, Lihua, Tian Gan & Jiachen Fan (2023): Do industrial robots affect the labour market? Evidence from China. In: Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, Jg. 31, H. 3, S. 787-817. DOI:10.1111/ecot.12356

Abstract

"The industrial robot is an essential part of modern manufacturing. Using micro-level data, this study investigates the effects of industrial robots on the labour market in China. The results show that the adoption of industrial robots increases firm-level employment by 31.65%. Using the Bartik method, we construct robot penetration as an instrumental variable of robot adoption to tackle endogenous problems. Our results stand up to a series of robustness checks. Moreover, the effects of robots are mainly owing to the expansion of the output scale, increased productivity, and upgraded products. We also find the skill-biased impact of robots and the spillover effect of industrial robots through production networks." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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de Boer, Noortje & Nadine Raaphorst (2023): Automation and discretion: explaining the effect of automation on how street-level bureaucrats enforce. In: Public Management Review, Jg. 25, H. 1, S. 42-62. DOI:10.1080/14719037.2021.1937684

Abstract

"A dominant assumption in the street-level bureaucracy literature is that bureaucrats’ discretion is curtailed by automated systems. Drawing on survey and factual data (n = 549) from Dutch inspectors, we test the effect of automation on enforcement style and whether this can be explained by discretion-as-perceived. Our results show that automation (1) increases bureaucrats’ legal and accommodation style; (2) discretion-as-perceived does not mediate this effect; but (3) automation does decrease discretion-as-perceived. The main implication is that we do not find empirical evidence for curtailment and future research should move beyond discretion to understand effects of digital systems on bureaucrats’ behaviour." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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World Economic Forum (2023): Future of Jobs Report 2023. Insight Report. (The future of jobs report), Cologny/Geneva, 295 S.

Abstract

"The Future of Jobs Report 2023 explores how jobs and skills will evolve over the next five years. This fourth edition of the series continues the analysis of employer expectations to provide new insights on how socio-economic and technology trends will shape the workplace of the future." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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OECD (2023): Job Creation and Local Economic Development 2023. Bridging the Great Green Divide. (Job creation and local economic development 5), Paris, 164 S. DOI:10.1787/21db61c1-en

Abstract

"Die Bekämpfung des Klimawandels und der Umweltzerstörung ist eine der schwierigsten Aufgaben, vor denen die Welt steht. Doch ein Mangel an Arbeitskräften mit den entsprechenden Qualifikationen könnte den grünen Wandel behindern. Die umwelt- und klimapolitischen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit erfordern neue nachhaltige Lösungen und eine erhebliche Verringerung von Emissionen, was sich weltweit auf die industrielle Produktion, den Konsum und die Energieversorgung auswirken wird. Dieser Übergang zu einer nachhaltigen und klimaneutralen Wirtschaft wird zu einer erheblichen Umgestaltung lokaler Arbeitsmärkte führen, da die Arbeitnehmer in andere Berufe und Sektoren wechseln. Der grüne Wandel verstärkt Megatrends wie die Digitalisierung und den demografischen Wandel, die auch die Geografie der Arbeitsplätze und die Arbeitswelt verändern." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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OECD (2023): OECD Employment Outlook 2023. Artificial Intelligence and the Labour Market. (OECD employment outlook), Paris, 264 S. DOI:10.1787/08785bba-en

Abstract

"The 2023 edition of the OECD Employment Outlook examines the latest labour market developments in OECD countries. It focuses, in particular, on the evolution of labour demand and widespread shortages, as well as on wage developments in times of high inflation and related policies. It also takes stock of the current evidence on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the labour market. Progress in AI has been such that, in many areas, its outputs have become almost indistinguishable from that of humans, and the landscape continues to change quickly, as recent developments in large language models have shown. This, combined with the falling costs of developing and adopting AI systems, suggests that OECD countries may be on the verge of a technological revolution that could fundamentally change the workplace. While there are many potential benefits from AI, there are also significant risks that need to be urgently addressed, despite the uncertainty about the short- to medium-term evolution of AI. This edition investigates how to get the balance right in addressing the possible negative effects of AI on labour market outcomes while not stifling its benefits." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"The rapid advances of artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years have led to numerous creative applications in science. Accelerating the productivity of science could be the most economically and socially valuable of all the uses of AI. Utilising AI to accelerate scientific productivity will support the ability of OECD countries to grow, innovate and meet global challenges, from climate change to new contagions. This publication is aimed at a broad readership, including policy makers, the public, and stakeholders in all areas of science. It is written in non-technical language and gathers the perspectives of prominent researchers and practitioners. The book examines various topics, including the current, emerging, and potential future uses of AI in science, where progress is needed to better serve scientific advancements, and changes in scientific productivity. Additionally, it explores measures to expedite the integration of AI into research in developing countries. A distinctive contribution is the book’s examination of policies for AI in science. Policy makers and actors across research systems can do much to deepen AI’s use in science, magnifying its positive effects, while adapting to the fast-changing implications of AI for research governance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

"This study is made of two parts: part A and part B. Part A of the study analyses - through 27 country fiches - the extent to which each EU Member State is prepared for ensuring a socially fair digital transformation in the coming years, based on both its current situation and future prospects. In this analysis, key areas of focus include the labor market, digital skills of the population, social protection as well as cross-cutting dimensions, such as the digitalization level of businesses and the quality of digital infrastructures. Part B of the study reviews - through 30 case studies - some of the main actual and potential uses of digital technologies (including AI) by a country’s public sector for improving the design and the delivery of social benefits and active labor market policies, as well as for complementing the monitoring of poverty and income inequality (the case studies analysed are mainly in Member States but also in a few third countries)." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Acemoglu, Daron & Pascual Restrepo (2022): Tasks, Automation, and the Rise in U.S. Wage Inequality. In: Econometrica, Jg. 90, H. 5, S. 1973-2016. DOI:10.3982/ECTA19815

Abstract

"We document that between 50% and 70% of changes in the U.S. wage structure over the last four decades are accounted for by relative wage declines of worker groups specialized in routine tasks in industries experiencing rapid automation. We develop a conceptual framework where tasks across 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 jobs 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 wage differentials between 1980 and 2016. The negative relationship between wage changes and task displacement is unaffected when we control for changes in market power, deunionization, and other forms of capital deepening and technology unrelated to automation. We also propose a methodology for evaluating the full general equilibrium effects of automation, which incorporate induced changes in industry composition and ripple effects due to task reallocation across different groups. Our quantitative evaluation 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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Albinowski, Maciej & Piotr Lewandowski (2022): The Impact of ICT and Robots on Labour Market Outcomes of Demographic Groups in Europe. (IBS working paper / Instytut Badań Strukturalnych 2022,04), Warszawa, 52 S.

Abstract

"We study the age- and gender-specific labour market effects of two key modern technologies, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and robots, in 14 European countries between 2010 and 2018. To identify the causal effects of technology adoption, we utilise the variation in technology adoption between industries and apply the instrumental variables strategy proposed by Acemoglu and Restrepo (2020). We find that the adoption of ICT and robots increased the shares of young and prime-aged women in employment and the wage bills of particular sectors, but reduced the shares of older women and primeaged men. The negative effects were particularly pronounced for older women in cognitive occupations, who had relatively low ICT-related skills; and for young men in routine manual occupations, who experienced substitution by robots. Between 2010 and 2018, the growth in ICT capital played a much larger role than robot adoption in the changes in the labour market outcomes of demographic groups." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Antón, José-Ignacio, David Klenert, Enrique Fernández-Macías, Maria Cesira Urzì Brancati & Georgios Alaveras (2022): The labour market impact of robotisation in Europe. In: European journal of industrial relations, Jg. 28, H. 3, S. 317-339. DOI:10.1177/09596801211070801

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. 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 majority of model specifications. 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 ambiguous and is not robust. 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))

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Autor, David, Caroline Chin, Anna M. Salomons & Bryan Seegmiller (2022): New Frontiers: The Origins and Content of New Work, 1940–2018. (NBER working paper 30389), Cambridge, Mass, 79 S. DOI:10.3386/w30389

Abstract

"We address three core questions about the hypothesized role of newly emerging job categories ('new work') in counterbalancing the erosive effect of task-displacing automation on labor demand: what is the substantive content of new work; where does it come from; and what effect does it have on labor demand? To address these questions, we construct a novel database spanning eight decades of new job titles linked both to US Census microdata and to patent-based measures of occupations' exposure to labor-augmenting and labor-automating innovations. We find, first, that the majority of current employment is in new job specialties introduced after 1940, but the locus of new work creation has shifted—from middle-paid production and clerical occupations over 1940–1980, to high-paid professional and, secondarily, low-paid services since 1980. Second, new work emerges in response to technological innovations that complement the outputs of occupations and demand shocks that raise occupational demand; conversely, innovations that automate tasks or reduce occupational demand slow new work emergence. Third, although flows of augmentation and automation innovations are positively correlated across occupations, the former boosts occupational labor demand while the latter depresses it. Harnessing shocks to the flow of augmentation and automation innovations spurred by breakthrough innovations two decades earlier, we establish that the effects of augmentation and automation innovations on new work emergence and occupational labor demand are causal. Finally, our results suggest that the demand-eroding effects of automation innovations have intensified in the last four decades while the demand-increasing effects of augmentation innovations have not." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bachmann, Ronald, Myrielle Gonschor, Piotr Lewandowski & Karol Madoń (2022): The impact of robots on labour market transitions in Europe. (Ruhr economic papers 933), Essen, 53 S.

Abstract

"Dieses Papier untersucht die Auswirkungen von Robotern auf Arbeitsmarkttransitionen in 16 europäischen Ländern. Generell reduzieren Roboter Übergänge von der Beschäftigung in die Arbeitslosigkeit und erhöhen die Wahrscheinlichkeit, einen neuen Job zu finden. Arbeitskosten sind eine wichtige Erklärung für die beobachteten Unterschiede zwischen Ländern: In Ländern mit niedrigeren Arbeitskosten zeigt sich ein stärkerer Effekt auf Einstellungen und Trennungen. Diese Auswirkungen sind bei Arbeitskräften in Berufen mit manuellen oder kognitiven Routineaufgaben besonders ausgeprägt, bei Berufen mit nicht-routine kognitiven Aufgaben hingegen vernachlässigbar. Für junge und ältere Arbeitskräfte in Ländern mit niedrigeren Arbeitskosten wirken sich Roboter positiv auf Übergänge aus. Unsere Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass die Einführung von Robotern in den meisten europäischen Ländern zu einem Anstieg der Beschäftigung und einem Rückgang der Arbeitslosigkeit geführt hat, vor allem durch einen Rückgang der Übergänge in die Arbeitslosigkeit." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Barslund, Mikkel (2022): The dynamics of ICT skills in EU Member States. (Social situation monitor), Luxembourg, 38 S. DOI:10.2767/866469

Abstract

"This study proposes a digital skills intensity index to measure the average number of digital skills used by a worker, based on their International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) occupational classification." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Berg, Janine, Francis Green, Laura Nurski & David Spencer (2022): Risks to job quality from digital Technologies: are industrial relations in Europe ready for the challenge? (Working paper / Bruegel 2022,16), Brussels, 31 S.

Abstract

"We examine the job quality effects of new digital technologies in Europe, using the framework of seven job quality ‘domains’: pay, working time quality, prospects, skills and discretion, work intensity, social environment and physical environment. The theoretical effects from new technology are ambivalent for all domains. Data on robot shocks matched to the European Working Conditions Surveys for 2010 and 2015 is used to generate empirical estimates, which show significant aggregate negative effects in three domains, and a positive effect in one. Some negative effects are enhanced where there is below-median collective bargaining. In light of these analyses, and in order to think through the challenge of regulating the development and implementation of all forms of digital technologies, we review regulations in several European countries. Drawing on the principles of human-centred design, we advance the general hypothesis that worker participation is important for securing good job quality outcomes, at both the innovation and adoption stages. We also consider the application to the regulation of job quality of national and supra-national data protection legislation. In these ways, the paper extends the debate about the future of work beyond employment and pay, to a consideration of job quality more broadly." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Berger, Thor & Per Engzell (2022): Industrial automation and intergenerational income mobility in the United States. In: Social science research, Jg. 104. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102686

Abstract

"This article examines how the automation of jobs has shaped spatial patterns of intergenerational income mobility in the United States over the past three decades. Using data on the spread of industrial robots across 722 local labor markets, we find significantly lower rates of upward mobility in areas more exposed to automation. The erosion of mobility chances is rooted in childhood environments and is particularly evident among males growing up in low-income households. These findings reveal how recent technological advances have contributed to the unequal patterns of economic opportunity in the United States today." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

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Blasco, Sylvie, Julie Rochut & Bénédicte Rouland (2022): Displaced or Depressed? The Effect of Working in Automatable Jobs on Mental Health. (IZA discussion paper 15434), Bonn, 29 S.

Abstract

"Automation may destroy jobs and change the labour demand structure, thereby potentially impacting workers' health and well-being. Using French individual survey data, we estimate the effects of working in automatable jobs on mental health. Implementing propensity score matching to solve the issue of endogenous exposure to automation risk, we find that workers whose job is at risk of automation in the future are about 4 pp more likely to suffer at present from severe mental disorders. Fear of job loss within the year and fear of qualification or occupational changes seem relevant channels to explain our findings." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ciarli, Tommaso, Florencia Jaccoud & Fabien Petit (2022): Heterogeneous Adjustments of Employment to Automation Technologies: Evidence from Manufacturing Industries in European Regions. In: EconPol Forum, Jg. 23, H. 5, S. 24-28.

Abstract

"Employment adjustments to automation vary across industries, regions, technologies, and time. Technological penetration of robots is related to higher employment within the industry in low-tech regions in the short run. Robots are negatively correlated to employment in knowledge-intensive regions. Regional heterogeneity in employment adjustment to robots is not driven by industry composition. High-tech industries adjust employment to ICT penetration faster than low-tech industries" (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Clark, Gordon L. (2022): Agency, sentiment, and risk and uncertainty: fears of job loss in 8 European countries. In: ZFW - Advances in Economic Geography, Jg. 66, H. 1, S. 3-17. DOI:10.1515/zfw-2021-0037

Abstract

"How people assess their prospects and act accordingly is anchored in time and space. But context is only half the story. Human beings share predispositions in favour of the here and now, discounting the future, and risk aversion. This paper provides a framework for integrating cognition with context in economic geography focusing upon agency, resources, and risk and uncertainty in European labour markets. In doing so, it seeks to avoid essentialising the individual while ensuring that the resulting framework does not leave individuals as cyphers of time and place. The framework is illustrated by reference to individual’s assessments of the consequences of technological change for their employment prospects in a multicountry European setting. Implications are drawn for a behavioural economic geography that is policy relevant." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsgeographie) ((en))

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Cords, Dario & Klaus Prettner (2022): Technological unemployment revisited: automation in a search and matching framework. In: Oxford economic papers, Jg. 74, H. 1, S. 115-135. DOI:10.1093/oep/gpab022

Abstract

"Will automation raise unemployment and what is the role of education in this context? To answer these questions, we propose a search and matching model of the labour market with two skill types and with industrial robots. In line with evidence to date, robots are better substitutes for low-skilled workers than for high-skilled workers. We show that robot adoption leads to rising unemployment and falling wages of low-skilled workers and falling unemployment and rising wages of high-skilled workers. In a calibration to Austrian and German data, we find that robot adoption destroys fewer low-skilled jobs than the number of high-skilled jobs it creates. For Australia and the USA, the reverse holds true. Allowing for endogenous skill acquisition of workers implies positive employment effects of automation in all four countries. Thus, the firm creation mechanism in the search and matching model and skill acquisition are alleviating the adverse effects of automation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Cresti, Lorenzo, Giovanni Dosi & Giorgio Fagiolo (2022): Technological interdependencies and employment changes in European industries. (LEM working paper series / Laboratory of Economics and Management 2022,5), Pisa, 36 S.

Abstract

"This work addresses the role of inter-sectoral innovation flows, which we frame as technological interdependencies, in determining sectoral employment dynamics. This purpose is achieved through the construction of an indicator capturing the amount of R&D expenditures embodied in the backward linkages of industries. We aim to find out whether having a more integrated production in terms of requiring more technological inputs is related to a lower demand for workers within the sector. We refer to the literature on innovation-employment nexus, inter-sectoral knowledge spillovers and Global Value Chains, building upon structuralist and evolutionary theoretical considerations. We track the flows of embodied technological change between industries taking advantage of the notion of vertically integrated sectors. The relevance of this vertical technological dimension for determining employment dynamics is then tested on a panel data of European industries over the 2008-2014 period. Results show a statistically significant and negative employment impact of the degree of vertical integration in terms of acquisitions of R&D embodied inputs. Combining the role of demand, the double nature of innovation - as product and as process -, together with intersectoral linkages, this work shows that the dependence of a sector from innovation performed by other ones - a proxy for input embodied process innovations - exert a negative effect upon employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Del Giudice, Manlio, Veronica Scuotto, Luca Vincenzo Ballestra & Marco Pironti (2022): Humanoid robot adoption and labour productivity: a perspective on ambidextrous product innovation routines. In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 33, H. 6, S. 1098-1124. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2021.1897643

Abstract

"The increasing presence of humanoid robot adoption has generated a change in explorative and exploitative routines. If the explorative routines provoke creativity and critical thinking which are delivered by humans, exploitative routines induce repetitive actions and mimic activities which are executed by humanoids. This has raised the need for a better balance between both routines involving an ambidextrous dynamic process. Here, product innovations play a relevant role in enhancing such balance and labour productivity. If, from the conceptual standpoint, this phenomenon has already been explored, there is still the need to empirically analyse it. We thus offer a meso-analysis of twenty-four countries located in Europe through the lens of the Service Robot Deployment (SRD) Model and the conceptual lens of organizational ambidexterity. By a regression methodology, the results show that humanoid robot adoption is still not affecting labour productivity which, by contrast, is positively and significantly connected with both radically new and marginally modified/unchanged production of innovative routines. Our original contribution, which falls in the field of Human Resources Management and Artificial Intelligence, is that humanoids are not directly impacting labour productivity but indirectly through the generation of both new and marginally modified (or unchanged) routines. This situation persuades senior leaders to achieve a balance between exploitative and explorative product innovation routines." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dhondt, Steven, Karolus O. Kraan & Michiel Bal (2022): Organisation, technological change and skills use over time: A longitudinal study on linked employee surveys. In: New Technology, Work and Employment, Jg. 37, H. 3, S. 343-362. DOI:10.1111/ntwe.12227

Abstract

"The impact of technological change on the content of jobs and accompanying skills is a central topic across disciplines. To date, ample research has directly linked the technological change to shifts in skills use; however, organisational change is rarely considered as an influencing factor. Based on a panel survey, this paper uses a Luhmannian approach to understand the relationship between technological change and organisational context. This theory is tested quantitatively and shows the importance of considering the working environment's nature when studying skills changes. The results show small effects by the technological change on changing skills use but larger effects by changes in the working environment. Recommendations for future research and practical implications are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dolado, Juan J., Etienne Lalé & Helene Turone (2022): Zero-hours Contracts in a Frictional Labour Market. (Discussion Paper / University of Bristol, Department of Economics 22/763), Bristol, 50 S.

Abstract

"We propose a model to evaluate the U.K.'s zero-hours contract (ZHC)- a contract that exempts employers from the requirement to provide any minimum working hours, and allows workers to decline any workload. We find quantitatively mixed welfare effects of ZHCs. On one hand they unlock job creation among firms that face highly volatile business conditions and increase labor force participation of individuals who prefer flexible work schedules. On the other hand, the use of ZHCs by less volatile firms, where jobs are otherwise viable under regular contracts, reduces welfare and likely explains negative employee reactions to this contract." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Duch Brown, Nestor, Estrella Gomez-Herrera, Frank Müller-Langer & Songul Tolan (2022): Market Power and Artificial Intelligence Work on Online Labour Markets. (JRC digital economy working paper 2021-10), Seville, 40 S.

Abstract

"We investigate three alternative but complementary indicators of market power on one of the largest online labour markets (OLMs) in Europe: (1) the elasticity of labour demand, (2) the elasticity of labour supply, and (3) the concentration of market shares. We explore how these indicators relate to an exogenous change in platform policy. In the middle of the observation period, the platform made it mandatory for employers to signal the rates they were willing to pay as given by the level of experience required to perform a project, i.e., entry, intermediate or expert level. We find a positive labour supply elasticity ranging between 0.06 and 0.15, which is higher for expert-level projects. We also find that the labour demand elasticity increased while the labour supply elasticity decreased after the policy change. Based on this, we argue that market-designing platform providers can influence the labour demand and supply elasticities on OLMs with the terms and conditions they set for the platform. We also explore the demand for and supply of AI-related labour on the OLM under study. We provide evidence for a significantly higher demand for AI-related labour (ranging from +1.4% to +4.1%) and a significantly lower supply of AI-related labour (ranging from -6.8% to -1.6%) than for other types of labour. We also find that workers on AI projects receive 3.0%-3.2% higher wages than workers on non-AI projects." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Fernández-Macías, Enrique & Martina Bisello (2022): A Comprehensive Taxonomy of Tasks for Assessing the Impact of New Technologies on Work. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 159, H. 2, S. 821-841. DOI:10.1007/s11205-021-02768-7

Abstract

"In recent years, the increasing concern about the labour market implications of technological change has led economists to look in more detail at the structure of work content and job tasks. Incorporating insights from other traditions of task analysis, in particular from the labour process approach, as well as from recent research on skills, work organisation and occupational change, in this paper we propose a comprehensive and detailed taxonomy of tasks. Going beyond existing broad classifications, our taxonomy aims at connecting the substantive content of work with its organisational context by answering two key questions: what do people do at work and how do they do their work? For illustrative purposes, we show how our approach allows a better understanding of the impact of new technologies on work, by accounting for relevant ongoing transformations such as the diffusion of artificial intelligence and the unfolding of digital labour platforms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((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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Hirvonen, Johannes, Aapo Stenhammar & Joonas Tuhkuri (2022): New Evidence on the Effect of Technology on Employment and Skill Demand. (ETLA working papers 93), Helsinki, 133 S.

Abstract

"We present novel evidence on the effects of advanced technologies on employment, skill demand, and firm performance. The main finding is that advanced technologies led to increases in employment and no change in skill composition. Our main research design focuses on a technology subsidy program in Finland that induced sharp increases in technology investment in manufacturing firms. Our data directly measure multiple technologies and skills and track firms and workers over time. We demonstrate novel text analysis and machine learning methods to perform matching and to measure specific technological changes. To explain our findings, we outline a theoretical framework that contrasts two types of technological change: process versus product. We document that firms used new technologies to produce new types of output rather than replace workers with technologies within the same type of production. The results contrast with the ideas that technologies necessarily replace workers or are skill biased." (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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Hyötyläinen, Mika (2022): Labour-saving technology and advanced marginality – A study of unemployed workers' experiences of displacement in Finland. In: Critical Social Policy, Jg. 42, H. 2, S. 285-305. DOI:10.1177/02610183211024122

Abstract

"The article explores the experiences of people displaced from work by the introduction of labour-saving technology in Finland. Interviews with 13 unemployed individuals are used as data. The study is underpinned by a Marxist interpretation of potentially emancipatory technology under capitalism reduced to an instrument for reorganizing skilled workers into an exploitable, precarious cadre of surplus and abstract labour. Loïc Wacquant’s thesis on advanced marginality is used as a theoretical framework to unpack and understand the little-studied experience of being displaced from work by technology. The interviewees share a sense of growing alienation and social exclusion. Feeding these experiences are capricious changes in skill-demands and deskilling under automation and robotisation of work. The experiences are exacerbated by digitalised, vertiginous and isolating job-seeking and employment services that cast responsibility on the unemployed individual. While the participants of this study were not on the brink of acute or extreme socio-economic marginalisation, their experiences are rooted in the very same social, economic and political dynamics as advanced marginality. The findings of the study help anticipate the risk of advancing marginality faced by displaced workers, if social policy reforms are not carried out in the short term. In the long term, the findings support the argument that studies on labour-saving technologies and unemployment pay closer attention to the particular role of technology under capitalism." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Jaiswal, Akanksha, C. Joe Arun & Arup Varma (2022): Rebooting employees: upskilling for artificial intelligence in multinational corporations. In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 33, H. 6, S. 1179-1208. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2021.1891114

Abstract

"Proponents of artificial intelligence (AI) have envisaged a scenario wherein intelligent machines would execute routine tasks performed by humans, thus, relieving them to engage in creative pursuits. While there is widespread fear of corresponding job losses, organizational think tanks vouch for the synergistic culmination of human–machine competencies. Using the dynamic skill, neo-human capital and AI job replacement theories, we contend that the introduction and adoption of AI calls for employees to upskill themselves. To determine the key skills deemed critical for the upskilling of employees, we interviewed 20 experienced professionals in multinational corporations (MNCs) in the information technology sector in India. Deploying Gioia’s methodology for qualitative analysis, our investigation revealed five critical skills for employee upskilling: data analysis, digital, complex cognitive, decision making and continuous learning skills." (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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Kapetaniou, Chrystalla & Christopher A. Pissarides (2022): Productive Robots and Industrial Employment: The Role of National Innovation Systems. (IZA discussion paper 15056), Bonn, 55 S.

Abstract

"In a model with robots, and automatable and complementary human tasks, we examine robot-labour substitutions and show how it they are influenced by a country's "innovation system". Substitution depends on demand and production elasticities, and other factors influenced by the innovation system. Making use of World Economic Forum data we estimate the relationship for thirteen countries and find that countries with poor innovation capabilities substitute robots for workers much more than countries with richer innovation capabilities, which generally complement them. In transport equipment and non-manufacturing robots and workers are stronger substitutes than in other manufacturing." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kerst, Christian, Insa Weilage & Birgit Gehrke (2022): Bildung und Qualifikation als Grundlage der technologischen Leistungsfähigkeit Deutschlands 2022. (Studien zum deutschen Innovationssystem 2022-1), Berlin, 65 S.

Abstract

"Die Studie zu Bildung und Qualifikation wird 2022 als Kurzstudie vorgelegt. Sie enthält wie in den Vorjahren die zentralen Indikatoren zur Qualifikationsstruktur der Erwerbstätigen im internationalen Vergleich. Erneut zeigt sich, dass der Anteil der Erwerbstätigen mit formal hohen (tertiären) Qualifikationen (ISCED 5 bis 8) in Deutschland deutlich niedriger ausfällt als in den OECD-Vergleichsländern. Dafür ist in Deutschland der Anteil qualitativ hochwertiger Abschlüsse mit berufsbildender Komponente im mittleren Qualifikationsbereiche (ISCED 3 und 4) besonders hoch. Die Studie enthält im zweiten Teil eine umfassende Darstellung hochschulstatistischer Kennzahlen zur Studiennachfrage und zur Entwicklung der Absolventenzahlen. Ein besonderes Augenmerk liegt dabei erneut auf der insbesondere in den weiterführenden Studiengängen Master und Promotion hohen Bildungsbeteiligung internationaler Studierender. Hier werden mit der zurückgehenden internationalen Studiennachfrage erste Auswirkungen der Corona-Pandemie erkennbar. Im dritten Teil der Studie werden Daten zur individuellen Teilnahme an Weiterbildung sowie zu weiterbildungsaktiven Betrieben berichtet." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Koch, Michael & Ilya Manuylov (2022): Measuring the Technological Bias of Robot Adoption and its Implications for the Aggregate Labor Share. (University Aarhus. Economics working paper 2022,01), Aarhus, 26 S.

Abstract

"This paper investigates the technological bias of robot adoption using a rich panel data set of Spanish manufacturing firms over a 25-year period. We apply the production function estimation when productivity is multidimensional to the case of an automating technology, to reveal the Hicks-neutral and labor-augmenting technological change brought about by robot adoption within firms. Our results indicate a causal effect of robots on Hicks-neutral and labor-augmenting components of productivity. The biased technological change turns out to be an important determinant of the decline in the aggregate share of labor in the Spanish manufacturing sector." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kovacs, Oliver (2022): Inclusive Industry 4.0 in Europe—Japanese Lessons on Socially Responsible Industry 4.0. In: Social Sciences, Jg. 11, H. 1. DOI:10.3390/socsci11010029

Abstract

"This contribution addresses the puzzle of whether the anti-inclusive character of Industry 4.0 development can be tailored toward a socially more responsible path (smart automation). In doing so, the paper first underlines the crucial importance of a governance being capable of fostering inclusive growth by deciphering the nexus between flaring populism and non-inclusive growth. It then turns to the case of Japanese digitalization and Industry 4.0 development to show that adding a social innovation-dimension (smart automation) to Industry 4.0 is not impossible in supporting inclusive growth in Europe." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lindner, Attila, Balazs Murakozy, Balazs Reizer & Ragnhild Schreiner (2022): Firm-level technological change and skill demand. (CEP discussion paper 1857), London, 136 S.

Abstract

"We quantify the contribution of firm-level technological change to skill demand and aggregate inequality in the presence of imperfect competition in the labor market. We show that skill-biased technological change increases both the firm-level skill ratio and the skill premium, while other shocks (e.g. firm-specific output demand shocks) cannot explain the increase in both outcomes. We exploit administrative data and a large survey measuring a broad class of firm-level technological changes from Hungary and Norway. We estimate that the aggregate college premium increases by 6.1% in Norway and by 13.8% in Hungary as a result of the skill bias in technological change." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Marczak, Martyna, Thomas Beissinger & Franziska Brall (2022): Technical Change, Task Allocation, and Labor Unions. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 15632), Bonn, 48 S.

Abstract

"We propose a novel framework that integrates the "task approach" for a more precise production modeling into the search-and-matching model with low- and high-skilled workers, and wage setting by labor unions. We establish the relationship between task reallocation and changes in wage pressure, and examine how skill- biased technical change (SBTC) affects the task composition, wages of both skill groups, and unemployment. In contrast to the canonical model with a fixed task allocation, low-skilled workers may be harmed in terms of either lower wages or higher unemployment depending on the relative task-related productivity profile of both worker types. We calibrate the model to the US and German data for the periods 1995-2005 and 2010-2017. The simulated effects of SBTC on low-skilled unemployment are largely consistent with observed developments. For example, US low-skilled unemployment increases due to SBTC in the earlier period and decreases after 2010." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Miguel, Pablo Sanz De, Tania Bazzani & Juan Arasanz (2022): Decommodifying Platform Work through an EU Definition of Worker. In: Glocalism: Journal of Culture, Politics and Innovation H. 3, S. 1-21. DOI:10.12893/gjcpi.2022.3.1

Abstract

"This article aims to highlight the process of recommodification characterizing the new forms of work today, in particular gig economy jobs, and the possible solutions that can be suggested to guarantee adequate protection. After having explained the importance of labour law to decommodify the new forms of work, in particular platform work, this article explains the different ways to legally classify them at the national level and the relevant contribution an EU definition of worker could bring to address the problem of recommodification. In doing this, the article also mentions some relevant aspects of the EU proposal for a directive in the field." (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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Pulkka, Ville-Veikko & Miska Simanainen (2022): Socio-Economic Performance of European Welfare States in Technology-Induced Employment Scenarios. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 51, H. 4, S. 920-944. DOI:10.1017/S0047279421000295

Abstract

"Studies assessing engineering bottlenecks of automation (Frey and Osborne, Reference Frey and Osborne2013, Reference Frey and Osborne2017; Arntz et al., Reference Arntz, Gregory and Zierahn2016; Nedelkoska and Quintini, Reference Nedelkoska and Quintini2018) have suggested that digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) may displace a considerable number of work tasks in the coming decades. While many authors (e.g. Brynjolfsson and McAfee, Reference Brynjolfsson and McAfee2014; Ford, Reference Ford2015) have noted that the digital transformation may also have substantial socio-economic implications for welfare states, researchers have not studied the question in much detail. Very little is currently known about the implications of divergent employment scenarios for government budgets, poverty or economic inequality. The main purpose of this paper is to fill this knowledge gap by comparing the socio-economic indicators in the European Union member states and the United Kingdom (henceforth the EU-28) in two ideal-type scenarios that reflect the divided expert view on long-term employment development. The pessimistic scenario assumes technological mass unemployment to constitute a permanent problem over the next two decades; while the optimistic one illustrates a future in which unemployment has been reduced by half, due to positive spillover effects deriving from the technological change." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))