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Abeliansky, Ana Lucia, Matthias Beulmann & Klaus Prettner (2024): Are they coming for us? Industrial robots and the mental health of workers. In: Research Policy, Jg. 53, H. 3. DOI:10.1016/j.respol.2024.104956

Abstract

"How does the increasing use of robots affect the mental health of workers? To investigate this question, we combine individual mental health data from the German Socioeconomic Panel with data on the stock of robots in 14 manufacturing sectors provided by the International Federation of Robotics for the period 2002–2018. Using mediation analysis andan instrumental variable approach, we find that higher robot intensity is associated with deteriorating mental health, an effect that is mainly driven by worries about job security and a lower sense of achievement on the job. A heterogeneity analysis reveals that higher robot intensity has particularly severe negative effects on the mental health of workers close to retirement, in low-skilled occupations and performing routine jobs. Women and men are affected similarly, as are workers of all educational levels. Our results indicate the presence of hidden (health) costs of automation that policymakers need to address." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))

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Abendroth, Anja-Kristin & Mareike Reimann (2024): Organisational inhibition and promotion of flexible working in digitalised work environments. In: New Technology, Work and Employment, Jg. 39, H. 1, S. 39-62. DOI:10.1111/ntwe.12275

Abstract

"Work-related use of digital information and communication technology (ICT) is not restricted to specific working sites and times. For employees, this can involve opportunities for flexible working, that is, having control over when and where to work. Applying an organisational comparative perspective, we examined whether adherence to the ideal worker norm inhibits and adherence to family-friendliness promotes flexible working as a consequence of ICT use. Linked employer–employee survey data from large German work organisations revealed that employees worked more flexibly in time and place due to work-related ICT use when supervisory work-life support was common. Mixed evidence is provided for the prevalence of ideal worker norm expectations. We conclude that work-life support in the organisation is a required complementary practice of flexible working for employees, promoting its dissemination." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Alacovska, Ana, Eliane Bucher & Christian Fieseler (2024): A Relational Work Perspective on the Gig Economy: Doing Creative Work on Digital Labour Platforms. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 38, H. 1, S. 161-179. DOI:10.1177/09500170221103146

Abstract

"Based on interviews with 49 visual artists, graphic designers and illustrators working on two leading global digital labour platforms, this article examines how creative workers perform relational work as a means of attenuating labour commodification, precarity, and algorithmic normativity. The article argues that creative work on online labour platforms, rather than being entirely controlled by depersonalised, anonymised and algorithm-driven labour market forces, is also infused in relational infrastructures whose upkeep, solidity and durability depends on the emotional efforts undertaken by workers to match economic transactions and their media of exchange to meaningful client relations. By applying a relational work perspective from economic sociology to the study of platform-mediated gig work, the article elucidates the micro-foundations of creative work in the digital gig economy, including how labour inequalities are produced and reproduced within and around micro-level interpersonal interactions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Albinowski, Maciej & Piotr Lewandowski (2024): The impact of ICT and robots on labour market outcomes of demographic groups in Europe. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 87. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102481

Abstract

"We study the age- and gender-specific labour market effects of two key modern technologies, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and robots. Our sample includes 14 European countries between 2010 and 2018. We use the variation in technology adoption between industries and apply the instrumental variables strategy proposed by Acemoglu and Restrepo (2020) to identify the causal effects of technology adoption. We find that exposure to ICT and robots increased the shares of young and prime-aged women in employment and in the wage bills of particular sectors. However, it reduced the shares of older women and prime-aged men. We do not detect significant effects of technology adoption on the relative wages of most demographic groups. Between 2010 and 2018, the growth in ICT capital played a larger role than robot adoption in the changes in the withinsector labor market outcomes of demographic groups." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, ©2024 Elsevier) ((en))

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(2024): Die Zukunft der Arbeit. (Stellungnahme / Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina Januar 2024), Halle, Saale ; Mainz, 124 S.

Abstract

"Unsere Arbeitswelt verändert sich stark. Digitalisierung und Automatisierung erlauben oft ortsungebundene Arbeit, die Abkehr von fossilen Brennstoffen zwingt uns zum Wirtschaften mit ökologisch nachhaltigen Energien und Technologien, demografischer Wandel und Einwanderung verändern unsere Gesellschaft grundlegend. Aus diesen Entwicklungen erwachsen Chancen und Risiken. Eine interdisziplinäre und interakademische Arbeitsgruppe widmet sich diesen in der Stellungnahme „Die Zukunft der Arbeit“. Die Arbeitsgruppe unter der Leitung von Frau Prof. Dr. h. c. Jutta Allmendinger, Ph.D. (Präsidentin des Wissenschaftszentrums Berlin für Sozialforschung, Mitglied der Leopoldina und der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften) schlägt vor, Erwerbsarbeit in ihrem Wechselspiel mit anderen Formen des Tätigseins zu betrachten, den Begriff der Arbeit weit zu fassen und unterschiedlichste Formen menschlicher Tätigkeit und deren Zusammenspiel in den Blick zu nehmen. Gesellschaftlicher Wohlstand, individuelles Wohlergehen und sozialer Zusammenhalt beruhen wesentlich auf Erwerbsarbeit. Gleichzeitig bedarf es zahlreicher anderer Tätigkeitsformen, um menschliche Bedürfnisse zu befriedigen, Fähigkeiten zu entwickeln und gesellschaftliche Arbeit zu leisten. Diese erweiterte Sicht auf Arbeit rückt menschliche Potenziale und ein neu auszubalancierendes Verhältnis zwischen sozialen, wirtschaftlichen und ökologischen Erfordernissen in den Mittelpunkt. Mit dem Begriff der „Tätigkeitsgesellschaft“ wird eine Perspektiverweiterung auf das Verständnis von Arbeit vorgeschlagen, bei der neben klassischer Erwerbstätigkeit auch all jene Beschäftigungen berücksichtigt werden, die einen konkreten gesellschaftlichen Nutzen erbringen, wie beispielsweise Sorgearbeit oder auch ehrenamtliche Arbeit. Diese ganz unterschiedlichen Formen von Arbeit sind eng miteinander verbunden und bedingen einander." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Arntz, Melanie, Sabrina Genz, Terry Gregory, Florian Lehmer & Ulrich Zierahn-Weilage (2024): De-Routinization in the Fourth Industrial Revolution - Firm-Level Evidence. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16740), Bonn, 65 S.

Abstract

"This paper examines the extent to which aggregate-level de-routinization can be attributed to firm-level technology adoption during the most recent technological expansion. We use administrative data and a novel firm survey to distinguish frontier technologies from older technologies. We find that adopters of frontier technologies contribute substantially to deroutinization. However, this is driven only by a subset of these firms: large adopters replace routine jobs and less routine-intensive adopters experience faster growth. These scale and composition effects reflect firms' readiness to adopt and implement frontier technologies. Our results suggest that an acceleration of technology adoption would be associated with faster de-routinization and an increase in between-firm heterogeneity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Barišić, Antea, Mahdi Ghodsi & Robert Stehrer (2024): Which Migrant Jobs are Linked with the Adoption of Novel Technologies, Robotization, and Digitalization? (WIIW working paper 241), Wien, 66 S.

Abstract

"In recent decades, the development of novel technologies has intenzified due to globalization, prompting countries to enhance competitiveness through innovation. These technologies have significantly improved global welfare, particularly in sectors like healthcare, where they have facilitated tasks and boosted productivity, for example playing a crucial role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. However, certain technologies, such as robots, can negatively impact employment by replacing workers and tasks. Additionally, the emergence of artificial intelligence as digital assets not only replaces specific tasks but also introduces complexities that may displace employees who are unable to adapt. While the existing literature extensively explores the heterogeneous effects of these technologies on labor markets, studies of their impact on migrant workers remain scarce. This paper presents pioneering evidence on the effects of various novel technologies on migrant employment in the European Union. The analysis covers 18 EU member states from 2005 to 2019 focusing on the impact of novel innovations, robot adoption, three types of digital assets, and total factor productivity, on migrant employment. The key findings reveal that innovations measured by the number of granted patents increase both the number and proportion of migrant workers relative to the overall workforce. While robots do replace jobs, their impact on native workers surpasses that of migrant workers, resulting in a higher share of migrant workers following robot adoption. Total factor productivity positively influences migrant workers, while the effects of digital assets are heterogeneous. Moreover, the impacts of these technologies on migrant workers vary significantly across different occupation types and educational levels." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Blasco, Sylvie, Julie Rochut & Benedicte Rouland (2024): Displaced or depressed? Working in automatable jobs and mental health. In: Industrial Relations online erschienen am 04.01.2024. DOI:10.1111/irel.12356

Abstract

"Automation may destroy jobs and change the labor demand structure, thereby potentially impacting workers' mental health. Implementing propensity score matching on French individual survey data, we find that working in an automatable job is associated with a 3 pp increase in the probability of suffering from mental disorders. Fear of automation through fear of job loss, expectation of a required change in skills, and fear of unwanted job mobility seem to be relevant channels to explain the findings." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Bożena, Frączek (2024): Challenges for Inclusive Organizational Behavior (IOB) in Terms of Supporting the Employment of People with Disabilities by Enhancing Remote Working. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 171, H. 3, S. 1019-1041. DOI:10.1007/s11205-023-03290-8

Abstract

"People with disabilities are at a higher risk of loss of work, salary, independence, and thus economic self-sufficiency. The research focuses on the possibilities of implementing the inclusive organizational behavior (IOB) concept in terms of increasing employment of people with disabilities by increasing the scope of remote working for people from this group. The research concerns two aspects related to the challenges for IOB in this area: examining the factors on the side of the employee with special emphasis on features that are important from the perspective of performing remote work, and showing the significance and importance of IOB as an element for narrowing the disability employment gap (DEG) and increasing the inclusion of people with disabilities through their employment (including remote employment). The study uses a macroeconomic approach and was carried out on a macro scale using aggregated data for European Union countries. The regression analysis method (multiple linear regression) was used in the research. The results of the research confirmed the different predictors (in the group of examined factors) of the employment rate in groups of persons with and without a disability. In the first stage of the research, significant predictor was found for the employment rate among the group of factors on the side of the employee that influence the remote work of people with a disability—this was the basic or above basic overall digital skills. However, in the group of people without a disability the predictor was found to be the level of education. Expanding the set of previous factors to the disability employment gap in the second stage of the research changed the significant predictor of the employment rate in the group of people with a disability, but did not change the predictor in the group of people without a disability. In the second stage, the significant predictor of the employment rate proved to be the disability employment gap (among others influenced by inclusive organizational behavior) in the case of people with a disability, and—similarly to the first stage – level of education in the case of people without a disability." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Carstensen, Tanja & Kathrin Ganz (2024): Künstliche Intelligenz und Gender - eine Frage diskursiver (Gegen-)Macht? In: WSI-Mitteilungen, Jg. 77, H. 1, S. 26-33. DOI:10.5771/0342-300X-2024-1-26

Abstract

"Mit der Digitalisierung von Arbeit ist häufig die Frage verbunden, ob sich Geschlechterungleichheiten verändern. Aktuell wird dies vor allem mit Blick auf Künstliche Intelligenz (KI ) kontrovers diskutiert. Im betrieblichen Alltag gewinnt KI zunehmend an Relevanz ; in politischen, medialen und wissenschaftlichen Diskursen wird bereits seit einigen Jahren thematisiert, inwiefern KI aus Geschlechterperspektiven relevant ist. Dieser Beitrag untersucht diese Diskurse und widmet sich der Frage, inwiefern sich durch die Anwendung von KI -Technologien geschlechtliche Machtungleichheiten in der Arbeitswelt verändern und ob sich mit KI Ansatzpunkte für die Entwicklung von Gegenmacht erkennen lassen." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Chen, Xi, Xiang Wen Cai, Xu Ding, Le Song & Cheng Chen (2024): Intellectualization and substitution elasticity of capital on the labour force in logistics enterprises: evidence from China and the United States. In: Applied Economics Letters, Jg. 31, H. 5, S. 395-400. DOI:10.1080/13504851.2022.2136615

Abstract

"This paper addresses the substitution elasticity of capital on the labor force in the context of the development of intellectualization. Given the substitution of capital for labor, China's benchmark listed logistics companies are compared with an American company to discuss the evolution of capital - labor substitution. A large-scale intellectualization process began in 2017, and based on a variable elasticity of substitution, this paper creates an econometric model of substitution elasticity between capital and labor and its evolution between 2017 and 2021. The American logistics company UPS maintains a relatively high level of substitution elasticity, and Chinese logistics companies are quickly catching up. The substitution elasticity of capital on labor in Chinese enterprises trends upward year after year. In 2021, the capital - labor substitution elasticity of logistics enterprises in both countries showed considerable growth. The calculation model of substitution elasticity presented in this paper can be extended to different regions and industries to measure intelligent development levels and the relationship between capital and the labor force." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Damelang, Andreas & Michael Otto (2024): Who is Replaced by Robots? Robotization and the Risk of Unemployment for Different Types of Workers. In: Work and occupations, Jg. 51, H. 2, S. 181-206. DOI:10.1177/07308884231162953

Abstract

"We study the effects of robotization on unemployment risk for different types of workers. We examine the extent to which robotization increases inequality at the skill level and at the occupational level using two theoretical frameworks: skill-biased technological change and task-biased technological change. Empirically, we combine worker-level data with information on actual investments in industrial robots. Zooming in on the German manufacturing industry, our multivariate results show that robotization affects different types of workers differently. We do not observe an increase in unemployment risk for low- and medium-skilled, but we find a considerably lower unemployment risk among high-skilled workers. Moreover, the unemployment risk is significantly higher in occupations with highly substitutable tasks, but only in industries that invest largely in robots." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © SAGE) ((en))

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Dauth, Wolfgang, Michael Moritz, Florian Lehmer, Verena Plümpe, Anna Solms, André Diegmann, Christian Schneemann, Britta Matthes, Markus Janser, Anja Bauer, Katharina Grienberger, Oliver Falck, Steffen Müller, Anja Sonnenburg & Bernd Fitzenberger; Florian Lehmer, Verena Plümpe, Anna Solms, André Diegmann, Christian Schneemann, Britta Matthes, Markus Janser, Anja Bauer, Katharina Grienberger, Oliver Falck, Steffen Müller, Anja Sonnenburg & Bernd Fitzenberger (sonst. bet. Pers.) (2024): Wie bewältigen Regionen die digitale und ökologische Transformation von Wirtschaft und Arbeitsmarkt? (Podium). In: IAB-Forum H. 06.05.2024. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20240506.01

Abstract

"Was bedeuten die absehbaren Transformationsprozesse der kommenden Jahrzehnte auf regionaler Ebene und wie können sie gemeistert werden? Antworten auf diese Fragen gab der IWH/IAB-Workshop zur Arbeitsmarktpolitik, der in diesem Jahr erstmals am IAB in Nürnberg stattfand." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Drazic, Ivana & Carsten C. Schermuly (2024): Too old for modern work? An explicit and implicit measure of the modern-work-is-young stereotype. In: German Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 38, H. 1, S. 59-89. DOI:10.1177/23970022231195061

Abstract

"With organizational practices such as working from home, agile project management, and shared leadership, the world of work is becoming increasingly dynamic and flexible. Simultaneously, the workforce in most industrialized nations is getting older. We hypothesized that both an explicit and implicit stereotype exists that associates modern work practices (MWP) more strongly with younger workers than with older workers (i.e. modern-work-is-young stereotype). With a focus on other-stereotyping, we surveyed participants who identified as younger or middle-aged workers (N = 186). Based on the contact hypothesis, we assumed that contact to older coworkers and contact with MWP are negatively related to both explicit and implicit endorsement of the modern-work-is-young stereotype. Furthermore, we examined differences in résumé evaluations for a job involving MWP, presenting an older and a younger hypothetical applicant. The results indicate the existence of a moderate explicit as well as implicit modern-work-is-young stereotype. The proposed contact hypothesis held true for the explicit but not for the implicit modern-work-is-young stereotype. Lastly, the younger applicant received significantly more positive evaluations than the older applicant, and only the explicit modern-work-is-young stereotype predicted the extent of age discrimination. The results suggest that the explicit modern-work-is-young stereotype can harm older employees and hamper intergenerational collaboration. These findings are especially important in times of demographic change, when workforces are becoming increasingly age-heterogeneous and retaining older workers seems more important than ever." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Friedrich, Martin, Ines Helm, Ramona Jost, Julia Lang & Christoph Müller (2024): Gig-Work bei Lieferdiensten in Deutschland: Beschäftigung hat in den letzten Jahren stark zugenommen. In: IAB-Forum H. 03.04.2024, 2024-03-28. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20240403.01

Abstract

"Die Fahrer*innen von App-basierten Lieferdiensten sind auch in Deutschland aus dem Stadtbild nicht mehr wegzudenken. Gleichzeitig wird in der Öffentlichkeit kontrovers über die Arbeitsbedingungen in der sogenannten Plattform-Ökonomie diskutiert. Das IAB untersucht nun erstmals das Wachstum und die Struktur dieser Beschäftigungsform sowie die individuellen Merkmale der abhängig Beschäftigten bei zehn großen App-basierten Lieferdiensten in Deutschland. Fast die Hälfte dieser Menschen ist geringfügig beschäftigt und ihr Einkommen ist geringer als in vergleichbaren Helferberufen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Gerlmaier, Anja & Alexander Bendel (2024): Wie kollegial ist Künstliche Intelligenz? Risikowahrnehmungen und Gestaltungsanforderungen aus Sicht von Beschäftigten. (IAQ-Report 2024-01), Duisburg ; Essen, 15 S. DOI:10.17185/duepublico/81427

Abstract

Zukünftig werden immer mehr Beschäftigte nicht nur in ihrem privaten Umfeld, sondern auch am Arbeitsplatz mit Systemen zusammenarbeiten, die auf Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) basieren. Das IAQ untersuchte im Rahmen des "HUMAINE"-Projektes, wie Beschäftigte die Kooperation mit solchen KI-Systemen bewerten und welche Gestaltungsanforderungen sie an diese neue Form der hybriden Mensch-KI-Zusammenarbeit haben. Es zeigte sich, dass KI-Systeme je nach Interaktionsform unterschiedliche Potenziale und Risiken aufweisen. Um die KI-basierten Risiken zu verringern, sollten Nutzer*innen frühzeitig an der Konzeption und Implementierung beteiligt und dabei arbeitswissenschaftliche Gestaltungskriterien berücksichtigt werden. (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku)

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Grienberger, Katharina, Britta Matthes & Wiebke Paulus (2024): Folgen des technologischen Wandels für den Arbeitsmarkt: Vor allem Hochqualifizierte bekommen die Digitalisierung verstärkt zu spüren. (IAB-Kurzbericht 05/2024), Nürnberg, 8 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.KB.2405

Abstract

"Die Potenziale, dass berufliche Tätigkeiten durch Computer oder computergesteuerte Maschinen vollautomatisch erledigt werden könnten, ändern sich, wenn neue Technologien auf dem Markt verfügbar werden. Bei der Neuberechnung solcher Substituierbarkeitspotenziale wird neben dieser Entwicklung auch berücksichtigt, dass sich die Tätigkeitsprofile in den Berufen verändern, neue Berufe und Tätigkeiten entstehen und Beschäftigte ihren Beruf wechseln. Die Autorinnen zeigen für die technologischen Möglichkeiten im Jahr 2022, wie hoch das Substituierbarkeitspotenzial derzeit ist und wie es sich seit 2013 verändert hat." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Grienberger, Katharina, Britta Matthes & Wiebke Paulus (2024): Anteil der beruflichen Tätigkeiten, die automatisiert werden könnten, variiert regional erheblich. In: IAB-Forum – Grafik aktuell H. 12.03.2024.

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Guarascio, Dario, Alessandro Piccirillo & Jelena Reljic (2024): Will robot replace workers? Assessing the impact of robots on employment and wages with meta-analysis. (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 1395), Essen, 31 S.

Abstract

"This study conducts a meta-analysis to assess the effects of robotization on employment and wages, compiling data from 33 studies with 644 estimates on employment and a subset of 19 studies with 195 estimates on wages. We identify a publication bias towards negative outcomes, especially concerning wages. After correcting for this bias, the actual impact appears minimal. Thus, concerns about the disruptive effects of robots on employment and the risk of widespread technological unemployment may be exaggerated or not yet empirically supported. While this does not preclude that robots will be capable of gaining greater disruptive potential in the future or that they are not already disruptive in specific contexts, the evidence to date suggests their aggregate effect is negligible." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hu, Shengming, Kai Lin, Bei Liu & Hui Wang (2024): Does robotization improve the skill structure? The role of job displacement and structural transformation. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 56, H. 28, S. 3415-3430. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2023.2206623

Abstract

"The literature generally focuses on the impact of robots or artificial intelligence on the employment and wages, but ignores the effect of robotization on the skill structure and its underlying mechanisms and lacks empirical evidence from developing countries. We theoretically develop a task model by introducing the skill structure and empirically investigate the effect of robotization on the skill structure based on Chinese provincial panel data from 2006 to 2018. Results show that: (1) the development of robotization in China is conducive to improving the skill structure, and the baseline conclusion still holds even though adopting multiple indexes of skill structure and controlling the endogeneity bias. (2) Robotization generates not only job displacement effect by displacing unskilled workers with robots but also structural transformation effect by increasing the proportion of technology-intensive industries, which can improve the skill structure. (3) In coastal provinces with strong Internet foundation, information transmission capacity and labour protection intensity, high labour cost and ageing rate, robotization plays a stronger role in improving the skill structure. Moreover, robotization can induce the employment polarization. These conclusions can help avoid technical unemployment and promote the upgrading of the skill structure in China." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Keppeler, Florian (2024): No Thanks, Dear AI! Understanding the Effects of Disclosure and Deployment of Artificial Intelligence in Public Sector Recruitment. In: Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Jg. 34, H. 1, S. 39-52. DOI:10.1093/jopart/muad009

Abstract

"Applications based on artificial intelligence (AI) play an increasing role in the public sector and invoke political discussions. Research gaps exist regarding the disclosure effects—reactions to disclosure of the use of AI applications—and the deploymenteffect—efficiency gains in data savvy tasks. This study analyzes disclosure effects and explores the deployment of an AI application in a preregistered field experiment (n = 2,000) co-designed with a public organization in the context of employer-driven recruitment. The linear regression results show that disclosing the use of the AI application leads to significantly less interest in an offer among job candidates. The explorative analysis of the deployment of the AI application indicates that the person–job fit determined by the leaders can be predicted by the AIapplication. Based on the literature on algorithm aversion and digital discretion, this study provides a theoretical and empirical disentanglement of the disclosure effect and the deployment effect to inform future evaluations of AI applications in the public sector. It contributes to the understanding of how AI applications can shape public policy and management decisions, and discusses the potential benefits and downsides of disclosing and deploying AI applications in the public sector and in employer-driven recruitment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kiener, Fabienne, Christian Eggenberger & Uschi Backes-Gellner (2024): The role of occupational skill sets in the digital transformation: how IT progress shapes returns to specialization and social skills. In: Journal of business economics, Jg. 94, H. 1, S. 75-111. DOI:10.1007/s11573-023-01153-9

Abstract

"Workers’ occupational skill sets play a crucial role in successfully handling digital transformation. We investigate whether and how different types of occupational skill sets benefit from digital transformation. We theoretically and empirically analyze wage returns of workers in occupations with more or less specialized skill sets and with more or less social skills when IT increases in their industry. Applying natural language processing methods to the texts of occupational training curricula, we develop measures for occupational specialization and social skills. We use vocational education and training curricula from Switzerland because they cover approx. two-thirds of the working population. Using curricula, industry-level IT data and individual-level administrative wage data, our individual fixed-effects analyses show that IT progress leads to higher wage returns for workers in highly specialized occupations but not for workers in more general occupations. In addition, we find that high levels of social skills cannot make up for this difference when IT advances. However, our results indicate that for workers with high specialization, a combination with high social skills generates additional benefits when IT advances. Overall, our results suggest that, contrary to typical assumptions in educational policy debates, workers with specialized occupational skill sets—possibly in combination with high social skills—appear to be the ones who are particularly well prepared to cope with digital transformation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Kristal, Tali, Efrat Herzberg-Druker & Adena White (2024): Is the wage premium on using computers at work gender-specific? In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 89. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2024.100890

Abstract

"Past research on the relationship between computers and wages has revealed two stylized facts. First, workers who use a computer at work earn higher wages than similar workers who do not (termed as ‘the computer wage premium’). Second, women are more likely to use a computer at work than are men. Given the recognized computer wage premium and women’s advantage in computer use at work, we ask: Is the wage premium on using computers at work gender- or non-gender-specific? Given gendered processes operating at both the occupational and within-occupation levels, we expect that returns to computer usage are gender-bias. This contrasts the skill-biased technological change (SBTC) theory assumption that the theorized pathways through which computers boost earnings are non-gender-specific productivity-enhancing mechanisms. Analyzing occupational data on computer use at work from O*NET attached to the 1979–2016 Current Population Surveys (CPS) and individual-level data from the 2012 Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), we find that the computer wage premium is biased in favor of men at the occupation level. We conclude by suggesting that computer-based technologies relate to reproducing old forms of gender pay inequality due to gendered processes that operate mainly at the structural level (i.e., occupations) rather than at the individual level." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))

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Livanos, Ilias & Panagiotis Ravanos (2024): Job loss and Covid-19: an analysis on the impacts of remote work and automation. In: Applied Economics Letters, Jg. 31, H. 8, S. 712-723. DOI:10.1080/13504851.2022.2146641

Abstract

"Using a unique dataset from a dedicated Cedefop Skills Forecast scenario on the impacts of COVID-19, this paper explores two possible determinants of expected job loss in the European Union (EU) due to the pandemic, namely the potential of work from home and the impacts of automation. Our findings suggest that less remote work and more automation are both related to future job losses across countries and occupations. These links are stronger in 2020–2021 at the country level, while becoming significant at the occupation level after 2022 when several protective measures taken by EU governments are expected to have been lifted." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Loumpourdi, Maria (2024): The future of employee development in the emerging fourth industrial revolution: a preferred liberal future. In: Journal of vocational education and training, Jg. 76, H. 1, S. 25-44. DOI:10.1080/13636820.2021.1998793

Abstract

"The Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is a socio-technical, ideological, and rhetorical construction rooted in the neoliberal discourse that reflects key tenets of global capitalism, is believed to have considerable implications for the development of employees in advanced manufacturing environments. This paper aims to explore the ways in which the learning needs of employees in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution could be appropriately identified and how employees could further develop their skills through the design of suitable development curricula. To this end , the paper seeks to interrogate the ways in which the employees’ learning needs are likely to be identified in the middle-range future, and problemate the focus of highly specialised and exclusively focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) curricula that are likely to be designed to help employees respond to the perceived demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The paper further seeks to explore a preferred liberal future, drawing on the work of Martha Nussbaum, to create the possibility for an alternative future guided by a more holistic conception of employee development through the establishment of learner-centred, liberal – and liberating – interdisciplinary Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) curricula." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Maffie, Michael David (2024): Visible hands: How gig companies shape workers' exposure to market risk. In: Industrial Relations, Jg. 63, H. 1, S. 59-79. DOI:10.1111/irel.12337

Abstract

"How do gig platforms prevent workers from defecting to a competitor? Drawing on 40 original interviews and survey data from 210 ride-hail drivers, the author finds that platform companies calibrate workers' exposure to market risk using gamified reward systems. These rewards protect compliant workers from changes in market conditions, raising the costs of accepting work from a competitor. Yet those who do not comply are “pushed” to the periphery, increasing their market risk. This article illustrates how platform companies can use their “visible hands” to harness and control market forces, shaping worker behavior within and across platforms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Markert, Cornelius & Marc Amlinger (2024): Geschichte und Zukunft der Arbeit: Ende oder Halbzeit des großen Produktivitätssprungs? In: IAB-Forum H. 04.01.2024. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20240104.01

Abstract

"Die Welt steht in den kommenden Jahrzehnten vor einem deutlichen Produktivitätssprung. Zu dieser Einschätzung gelangt das Institut für die Geschichte und Zukunft der Arbeit auf Basis einer umfassenden interdisziplinären Studie. Sie nimmt die historische Entwicklung der Arbeit und der mit ihr zusammenhängenden Dimensionen Technik, Energie, Kommunikation, Wissenschaft, Alltagsleben, Wirtschaft, Herrschaft, Bevölkerung und Klima in den Blick." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Orth, Barbara (2024): Stratified pathways into platform work: Migration trajectories and skills in Berlin's gig economy. In: Environment and planning. A, Economy and space, Jg. 56, H. 2, S. 476-490. DOI:10.1177/0308518X231191933

Abstract

"Platform labour scholars have noted the prevalence of migrant workers in the gig economy. This paper builds on this research but interrogates the broad concept of 'migrant labour'. The study draws on biographical interviews with platform workers in grocery delivery and domestic work platforms in Berlin, Germany as well as expert interviews with union representatives, migrant organisations and white-collar platform company employees. Through an examination of the mobility strategies of platform workers in this subset of the platform economy, the study reveals a stratification of migrant trajectories and of skills needed to engage in platform work across different types of labour platforms. The study finds that platform companies draw on a workforce that consists of recently arrived young migrants with comparatively high education, language skills and digital literacy. Through close analysis of an understudied section of the gig economy, the paper contributes to the ongoing theorisation of the nexus of migration regimes and platform-mediated labour regimes. The findings complicate the notion of 'accessibility' of platform work and call for the inclusion of visa regimes, immigration categories and particular skill sets in future research on platform labour." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 a Pion publication) ((en))

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Pfeiffer, Sabine (2024): KI im Unternehmen – Herausforderungen an die betriebliche Gestaltung moderner Arbeit. In: Faktor Arbeitsschutz H. 11, S. 34-39.

Abstract

"Eine Befragung von Beschäftigten zu ihrer Einstellung gegenüber der Nutzung von KI bei der Arbeit ergab – entgegen immer wieder behaupteter Angstzuschreibung – ein abgewogenes „Es kommt darauf an“. Wichtig ist es, Beschäftigte von Anfang an bei der Installation von KI im Betrieb zu beteiligen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Pulignano, Valeria, Stefania Marino, Mathew Johnson, Markieta Domecka & Me-Linh Riemann (2024): 'Digital Tournaments': the colonisation of freelancers' 'free' time and unpaid labour in the online platform economy. In: Cambridge Journal of Economics, Jg. 48, H. 1, S. 133-150. DOI:10.1093/cje/bead042

Abstract

"This article challenges positive views of the assumed relationships between skills, productivity and rewards in self-employed digital freelancing. It suggests that the upfront investments made by freelancers to build up positive platform ratings are not necessarily recouped in the form of increased autonomy, guaranteed work or more lucrative ‘gigs’. Drawing on 38 autobiographical narrative interviews and 12 audio working diaries with diverse online freelancers in Europe, we show how the low barriers to enter platform work provide opportunities for those with limited work experience and other commitments outside of work. However, the intense competition between an ever-expanding pool of (both skilled and unskilled) task freelancers within ‘digital tournaments’ results in the colonisation of worker’s free time, and the normalisation of unpaid labour. This implies that ‘free time’ for freelancers is largely an illusion. Furthermore, the significant ‘sunk costs’ that freelancers make in terms of time, platform-specific skills, reputation and networks are not fully recovered and cannot be transferred to other platforms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Reinke, Kathrin, Lisa Niederkrome & Sandra Ohly (2024): Boundary Work Tactics and Their Effects on Information and Communication Technology Use After Hours and Recovery. In: Journal of Personnel Psychology, Jg. 23, H. 1, S. 36-48. DOI:10.1027/1866-5888/a000335

Abstract

"With an increasing use of work-related technologies after hours and mobile working, boundaries between work and personal life domains blur more and more, impairing recovery. Qualitative studies have shown that individuals use various boundary work tactics to actively manage their work–nonwork boundaries. However, it remains largely unknown how the use of such tactics contributes to recovery. This research differentiates types of availability-related boundary work tactics and organizes them according to their underlying motives: preventive, restrictive, and rejecting tactics. The results of a cross-sectional study (N = 249) and a validation study (N = 175) support the proposed motive-oriented structure of tactics and show differential prediction of psychological detachment and relaxation. Implications for practice and future research are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 Hogrefe Verlag) ((en))

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Saam, Marianne (2024): The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Productivity and Employment – How Can We Assess It and What Can We Observe? In: Intereconomics, Jg. 59, H. 1, S. 22-27. DOI:10.2478/ie-2024-0006

Abstract

"Technological optimists have been predicting the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution since the beginning of the past decade. This expectation contrasts with low productivity growth in many countries. The commercial release of ChatGPT in late 2022 has lead to rising expectations about a dramatic shift at least equivalent to the one associated with the commercial introduction of the Internet. But what is AI from an economic point of view? How can we observe the diffusion of AI in the economy and assess its effects in order to the draw conclusions for economic policy?" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Scheffer, Jörg (2024): Mirrored Spaces. Social Inequality in the Digital Age. (Geographies of Media), Wiesbaden: Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, XVII, 166 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-658-42793-1

Abstract

"This open access book critically examines discussions on digitalization and individual opportunities for socio-economic advancement. Contrary to the prevailing narratives of “digital empowerment” and opportunities for every individual, this book argues that digitalization massively curtails social advancement opportunities, consolidating existing social relations. From a spatial perspective, Scheffer demonstrates how socially disadvantaged groups are faced with reproducing mechanisms as part of a new data economy. Surprisingly, the more intensively digital services are used, the more this happens. Building on Löw´s sociology of space and Bourdieu´s concept of habitus, this book shows how practices of social exclusion are transferred to the digital present in an innovative way. The image of “mirrored” spaces describes a new mechanism that explains social exclusion in the age of digitalization. This book is an essential resource for researchers and students interested in socio-economic inequalities, processes of digitalisation, and digital geographies." (Provided by publisher)

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Schlottmann, Philipp (2024): Digitale Welt, digitale Berufe – welche digitalen Kompetenzen werden von Fachkräften gefordert? In: Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik - online, S. 1-19.

Abstract

"Die rasante Entwicklung digitaler Technologien hat die Art und Weise, wie Unternehmen arbeiten und Geschäfte tätigen, revolutioniert. Unternehmen müssen nun verstärkt auf digitale Kompetenzen achten, um die Nutzung digitaler Tools und Plattformen effektiv zu nutzen, Prozesse zu optimieren, Kunden zu erreichen und der Konkurrenz voraus zu sein. In dieser Studie wird untersucht, welche digitalen Kompetenzen im Bereich der Betriebswirtschaft genannt werden, um die wesentlichen Fähigkeiten, Kenntnisse und Einstellungen zu ermitteln, die in der heutigen Unternehmenslandschaft gefragt sind. Mit Hilfe von Text Mining werden digitale Kompetenzen aus einem umfangreichen Datensatz von 25.000 Stellenanzeigen zu betriebswirtschaftlichen Berufsbildern extrahiert. Die daraus resultierenden empirischen Daten werden analysiert, um zu strukturieren, welche digitalen Kompetenzen im Bereich der Betriebswirtschaft beschrieben werden. Die Studie zeigt, dass zwei spezifische digitale Kompetenzen besonders gefragt sind: die analytische Auswertung mit Hilfe verschiedener Software-Tools und die Kommunikation über soziale Medien. Darüber hinaus besteht ein wachsender Bedarf an der Analyse und Optimierung von Geschäftsprozessen, die ebenfalls überdurchschnittlich wichtig gewertet werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Schludi, Martin, Anna Wallheinke, Laura Deckbar, Reint Gropp, Marcus König, Andrea Heilmaier, Bernd Fitzenberger, Annekatrin Niebuhr, Monika Schnitzer & Markus Lötzsch; Reint Gropp, Marcus König, Andrea Heilmaier, Bernd Fitzenberger, Annekatrin Niebuhr, Monika Schnitzer & Markus Lötzsch (sonst. bet. Pers.) (2024): Nürnberger Gespräche: Wie bewältigen Regionen die digitale und ökologische Transformation? (Podium). In: IAB-Forum H. 06.05.2024 Nürnberg. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20240506.02

Abstract

"Energiewende, Mobilitätswende, Digitalisierung, Künstliche Intelligenz: Die aktuellen Herausforderungen sind gewaltig. Die digitale und die ökologische Transformation setzen Staat und Unternehmen unter massiven Anpassungsdruck. Zugleich ist jede Region in unterschiedlicher Weise mit den Chancen und Risiken der Transformation konfrontiert. Resultieren daraus auch unterschiedliche regionale Anpassungsstrategien? Wie effektiv ist regionale Wirtschaftsförderung? Und führen die Transformationsprozesse zu einer Reorganisation von Wirtschaftsräumen? Diese und weitere Fragen diskutierten Expertinnen und Experten aus Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft und Regionalpolitik am 13. März dieses Jahres bei den „Nürnberger Gesprächen“." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Souto-Otero, Manuel & Phillip Brown (2024): The rise of the digital labour market: characteristics and implications for the study of education, opportunity and work. In: Journal of education and work online erschienen am 13.02.2024, S. 1-16. DOI:10.1080/13639080.2024.2310263

Abstract

"How the labor market operates in an increasingly digital context has remained under-researched. The article explains why the digital labor market is in urgent need of study, as digitalisation transforms how labor markets are structured and shape the competition for jobs. Digital tools give job seekers new ways of describing themselves and give employers access to new sources of data on candidates, in real-time and at low cost. We identify three dimensions of digital labor markets that distinguish them from earlier ‘analogue’ models – Information, Control and Engagement (ICE). We explain how changes in these dimensions contribute to a restructuring of the recruitment process, and outline implications for theories on the education–work relationship and for the analysis of social opportunity and inequalities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Zhao, Yong, Da Yin, Lili Wang & Yihua Yu (2024): The rise of artificial intelligence, the fall of human wellbeing? In: International Journal of Social Welfare, Jg. 33, H. 1, S. 75-105. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12586

Abstract

"Concerns exist regarding the impact on our lives of the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Using a large dataset of 137 countries over the period 2005–2018 from multiple sources, we estimate the causal effect of AI on individual-level subjective wellbeing. Our identification strategy is inferred from the gravity framework and uses merely the variation in exogenous drivers of a country's AI development. We find a significant negative effect of AI on an individual's wellbeing, in terms of current levels or expectations of future wellbeing. The results are robust to alternative measures of AI, identification strategies, and sampling. Moreover, we find evidence of significant heterogeneity in the impact of AI on individual wellbeing. Further, this dampening effect on individual wellbeing resulting from the use of AI is more prominent among young people, men, high-income groups, high-skilled groups, and manufacturing workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Acemoglu, Daron & Simon Johnson (2023): Rebalancing AI. In: Finance and development, S. 26-29.

Abstract

"Optimistic forecasts regarding the growth implications of AI abound. AI adoption could boost productivity growth by 1.5 percentage points per year over a 10-year period and raise global GDP by 7 percent ($7 trillion in additional output), according to Goldman Sachs. Industry insiders offer even more excited estimates, including a supposed 10 percent chance of an “explosive growth” scenario, with global output rising more than 30 percent a year. All this techno-optimism draws on the “productivity bandwagon”: a deep-rooted belief that technological change— including automation—drives higher productivity, which raises net wages and generates shared prosperity. Such optimism is at odds with the historical record and seems particularly inappropriate for the current path of “just let AI happen,” which focuses primarily on automation (replacing people). We must recognize that there is no singular, inevitable path of development for new technology. And, assuming that the goal is to sustainably improve economic outcomes for more people, what policies would put AI development on the right path, with greater focus on enhancing what all workers can do?" (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Acemoglu, Daron, Hans R. A. Koster & Ceren Ozgen (2023): Robots and Workers: Evidence from the Netherlands. (NBER working paper / National Bureau of Economic Research 31009), Cambridge, Mass, 60 S.

Abstract

"We estimate the effects of robot adoption on firm-level and worker-level outcomes in the Netherlands using a large employer-employee panel dataset spanning 2009-2020. Our firm-level results confirm previous findings, with positive effects on value added and hours worked for robot-adopting firms and negative outcomes on competitors in the same industry. Our worker-level results show that directly-affected workers (e.g., blue-collar workers performing routine or replaceable tasks) face lower earnings and employment rates, while other workers indirectly gain from robot adoption. We also find that the negative effects from competitors' robot adoption load on directly-affected workers, while other workers benefit from this industry-level robot adoption. Overall, our results highlight the uneven effects of automation on the workforce." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Agarwal, Ayushi & Sreejith Alathur (2023): Metaverse revolution and the digital transformation: intersectional analysis of Industry 5.0. In: Transforming Government : People, Process and Policy, Jg. 17, H. 4, S. 688-707. DOI:10.1108/TG-03-2023-0036

Abstract

"Purpose: This study aims to investigate metaverse elements affecting digital transformation and examine how the metaverses ’ enabled digital transformation affects Industry 5.0. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts intersectional research methodologies to understand how metaverse technologies facilitate digital transformation and contribute to Industry 5.0. The Metaverse literature is bibliometrically analyzed to identify the intersection of digital transformation and components of Industry 5.0. Findings The conceptualization of the metaverse, its ecosystem and its enabling technologies are consistent with the human-centric, resilient and sustainable vision of the industrial revolution. The findings show that scientific research into digital transformation contributes to refining potential conflicts and tensions that may arise at the intersection of the metaverse and Industry 5.0. Research limitations/implications Study have significant implications for digital transformation research, as transformation studies help to fine-tune emerging technologies such as the metaverse for the industrial revolution. Based on the findings, the authors have provided a threat model for the Sustainable Metaverse Revolution. Social implications The utility of metaverse technologies in industrial revolutions necessitates the formulation of business model policies that promote the metaverse-enabled digital transformation. Policy recommendations for integrated development approaches are also provided in this paper. Originality/value The metaverse-enabled digital transformation and its implications for the industrial revolution are less reported. The current study addresses the importance of such intersectional studies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Agrawal, Ajay K., Joshua S. Gans & Avi Goldfarb (2023): The Turing Transformation: Artificial Intelligence, Intelligence Augmentation, and Skill Premiums. (NBER working paper / National Bureau of Economic Research 31767), Cambridge, Mass, 12 S.

Abstract

"We ask whether a technical objective of using human performance of tasks as a benchmark for AI performance will result in the negative outcomes highlighted in prior work in terms of jobs and inequality. Instead, we argue that task automation, especially when driven by AI advances, can enhance job prospects and potentially widen the scope for employment of many workers. The neglected mechanism we highlight is the potential for changes in the skill premium where AI automation of tasks exogenously improves the value of the skills of many workers, expands the pool of available workers to perform other tasks, and, in the process, increases labor income and potentially reduces inequality. We label this possibility the “Turing Transformation.” As such, we argue that AI researchers and policymakers should not focus on the technical aspects of AI applications and whether they are directed at automating human-performed tasks or not and, instead, focus on the outcomes of AI research. In so doing, our goal is not to diminish human-centric AI research as a laudable goal. Instead, we want to note that AI research that uses a human-task template with a goal to automate that task can often augment human performance of other tasks and whole jobs. The distributional effects of technology depend more on which workers have tasks that get automated than on the fact of automation per se." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Ahlers, Elke (2023): New Work(Load)? Gestaltungsansätze für selbstorganisierte Formen der Arbeitsorganisation. (WSI policy brief 78), Düsseldorf, 15 S.

Abstract

"Ziel dieses Policy Briefs ist, die veränderten Arbeitskulturen der digitalen Arbeitswelt und die dadurch entstehenden Arbeitsbelastungen aufzuzeigen. Kapitel 2 gibt dazu einen einführenden Überblick. Im Anschluss daran wird auch das Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Selbstorganisation, Eigenverantwortung, Leistung und den entstehenden sozialen und gesundheitlichen Risiken thematisiert (Kapitel 3). Darauf aufbauend werden passende Gestaltungsansätze Guter Arbeit (Kapitel 4) sowie ein partizipationsorientiertes Betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement (Kapitel 6) skizziert. Zusammenfassend werden in einem Fazit Gestaltungsnotwendigkeiten aufgezeigt" (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Albanesi, Stefania, Antonio Dias da Silva, Juan F. Jimeno, Ana Lamo & Alena Wabitsch (2023): New Technologies and Jobs in Europe. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16227), Bonn, 58 S.

Abstract

"We examine the link between labour market developments and new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and software in 16 European countries over the period 2011- 2019. Using data for occupations at the 3-digit level in Europe, we find that on average employment shares have increased in occupations more exposed to AI. This is particularly the case for occupations with a relatively higher proportion of younger and skilled workers. This evidence is in line with the Skill Biased Technological Change theory. While there exists heterogeneity across countries, only very few countries show a decline in employment shares of occupations more exposed to AI-enabled automation. Country heterogeneity for this result seems to be linked to the pace of technology diffusion and education, but also to the level of product market regulation (competition) and employment protection laws. In contrast to the findings for employment, we find little evidence for a relationship between wages and potential exposures to new technologies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Alberti, Gabriella & Simon Joyce (2023): Mutualism, class composition, and the reshaping of worker organisation in platform work and the gig economy. In: Global Labour Journal, Jg. 14, H. 3, S. 220-235. DOI:10.15173/glj.v14i3.5332

Abstract

"This article contributes an understanding of mutualism as a foundational element in emergent worker collectivism. We challenge mainstream institutionalist accounts in industrial relations, especially from the Global North, that downplay processes of bottom-up regeneration of working-class organization. We discuss compositional accounts of class formation and examine previous understandings of mutualism, then apply our conceptual framework to evidence from international literature and our own research on platform work in Italy and the UK. Three important themes emerge in understanding worker self-organization: the demographics of the workforce, including migration backgrounds and social ties beyond the workplace; the existence of social relations in the ethnic/political/local community; and the relevance of free spaces of resource sharing and recomposition in the absence of a fixed place of work. We conclude that an understanding of mutualism can help to grasp emergent solidarities among new groups of workers within and beyond both platform work and trade unions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Allmendinger, Jutta & Wolfgang Schroeder (2023): Souveränitätsgewinne oder Freiheitsverluste – wohin treibt der Arbeitsmarkt? In: J. Legrand, B. Linden & H.-J. Arlt (Hrsg.) (2023): Transformation und Emanzipation, S. 113-124. DOI:10.1007/978-3-658-39911-5_10

Abstract

"Die Arrangements der Plattformökonomie stehen für eine weitreichende Transformation, an deren Ende sich das rechtliche und soziale Band der Erwerbsarbeit auflöst. Solange die Plattformarbeit eher ein Randphänomen bleibt, wird die regulierte Arbeitsgesellschaft nicht grundlegend infrage gestellt. Entwickelt sich dieses Phänomen aber in der heutigen Form ungezügelt weiter, werden unsere Prinzipien des Sozialversicherungsstaats bedroht. Die neuen Konstellationen von Beschäftigung, Managementstrategien und Interessenvertretung führen dann zu Veränderungen, die das etablierte Akteurs- und Institutionengefüge sprengen und sich herkömmlichen sozialpartnerschaftlichen Aushandlungsformen und politischer Regulierung entziehen. Eine Arbeitspolitik der Souveränität braucht Antworten, die den Kontext der Akteure und Institutionen stärkt. Davon wird es abhängen, ob die Freiheitspotenziale erschlossen werden können. Dafür gibt es Ansätze, wie die bald weltweit verortete Initiative von Fairwork zeigt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Springer)

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Andrulli, Rémi & Ruud Gerards (2023): How new ways of working during COVID-19 affect employee well-being via technostress, need for recovery, and work engagement. In: Computers in Human Behavior, Jg. 139. DOI:10.1016/j.chb.2022.107560

Abstract

"COVID-19 led to a surge in employees experiencing New Ways of Working (NWW), as many had to work from home supported by ICT. This paper studies how experiencing NWW during COVID-19 affected job-related affective well-being (JAWS) for a sample of employees of the Dutch working population. Hypotheses are tested using Preacher and Hayes' (Behav Res Methods 40 (3):879–891, 2008) bootstrap method, including technostress, need for recovery and work engagement as serial mediators. The results show that higher levels of NWW relate to higher JAWS, to more feelings of positive well-being (PAWS), and less feelings of negative well-being (NAWS). Much of these relations is indirect, via reduced technostress and need for recovery, and increased work engagement. Distinguishing the separate facets of NWW and their relations to PAWS/NAWS, the results show that NWW facets management of output, access to colleagues and access to information directly relate to less negative well-being. However, as the NWW facet time- and location-independent work negatively relates to feelings of positive well-being, NWW as a bundle of facets is not a set-and-forget strategy. Therefore, this study recommends that NWW be supplemented with regular monitoring of employees' well-being, technostress, need for recovery and work engagement." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Antón, José-Ignacio, Enrique Fernández-Macías & Rudolf Winter-Ebmer (2023): Does Robotization Affect Job Quality? Evidence from European Regional Labour Markets. In: Industrial Relations, Jg. 62, H. 3, S. 233-256. DOI:10.1111/irel.12324

Abstract

"Whereas there are recent papers on the effect of robot adoption on employment and wages, there is no evidence on how robots affect non-monetary working conditions. We explore the impact of robot adoption on several domains of non-monetary working conditions in Europe over the period 1995–2005 combining information from the World Robotics Survey and the European Working Conditions Survey. In order to deal with the possible endogeneity of robot deployment, we employ an instrumental variables strategy, using the robot exposure by sector in other developed countries as an instrument. Our results indicate that robotization has a negative impact on the quality of work in the dimension of work intensity and no relevant impact on the domains of physical environment or skills and discretion." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Arntz, Melanie, Franz Donner, Michaela Evans, Alexandra Friedrich, Sinischa Horvat, Anna Kaiser, Luitwin Mallmann, Mathias Möreke, Sabine Pfeiffer, Isabel Rothe, Wolfgang Schroeder, Sascha Stowasser & Ulrich Walwei (2023): Transformation in bewegten Zeiten. Nachhaltige Arbeit als wichtigste Ressource. Berlin, 129 S.

Abstract

"Der erste Bericht des Rats der Arbeitswelt im Mai 2021 stand vor allem unter dem Eindruck der Covid19-Pandemie. Spätestens seit dem Angriff auf die Ukraine fokussieren sich Diskussionen zu Wirtschaft und Arbeitswelt auf den Umgang mit steigenden Energiepreisen und zunehmenden Lieferengpässen. Die kurzfristige Krisenbewältigung geht einher mit einer umfassenden und langfristigeren Transformation der Arbeitswelt vor dem Hintergrund des sich verschärfenden demografischen Wandels, der Digitalisierung und Dekarbonisierung. Unter Berücksichtigung aktueller Krisenproblematiken stehen diese Auswirkungen der digitalen und ökologischen Transformation auf die Arbeitswelt in Zeiten der Arbeitskräfteknappheit im Mittelpunkt des zweiten Arbeitswelt-Berichts. Der Bericht setzt sich erstens mit übergeordneten Fragen von Angebot und Nachfrage auf dem Arbeitsmarkt im Zuge der beiden Transformationen auseinander und untersucht in diesem Zusammenhang auch, inwiefern sich Anforderungen an Kompetenzen und Qualifikationen verändern. Da es vor allem die Betriebe und ihre Beschäftigten sind, die die Transformation umsetzen und bewältigen müssen, steht zweitens der Betrieb als Transformationsort sowie die betriebliche Gestaltung von Transformationsprozessen im Mittelpunkt." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Arntz, Melanie, Cäcilia Lipowski, Guido Neidhöfer & Ulrich Zierahn-Weilage (2023): Computers as Stepping Stones? Technological Change and Equality of Labor Market Opportunities. In: Journal of labor economics online erschienen am 21.08.2023, S. 1-41. DOI:10.1086/727490

Abstract

"This paper analyzes whether technological change improves equality of labor market opportunities by increasing the returns to skills relative to the returns to parental background. We find that in Germany during the 1990s, the introduction of computer technologies improved the access to technology-adopting occupations for workers with low-educated parents, and reduced their wage penalty within these occupations. We also show that this significantly contributed to a decline in the overall wage penalty experienced by workers from disadvantaged parental back-grounds over this time period. Competing mechanisms, such as skill-specific labor supply shocks and skill-upgrading, do not explain these findings." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Atrian, Armita & Saleh Ghobbeh (2023): Technostress and Job Performance: Understanding the Negative Impacts and Strategic Responses in the Workplace. (arXiv papers), 13 S.

Abstract

"This study delves into the increasingly pertinent issue of technostress in the workplace and its multifaceted impact on job performance. Technostress, emerging from the rapid integration of technology in professional settings, is identified as a significant stressor affecting employees across various industries. The research primarily focuses on the ways in which technostress influences job performance, both negatively and positively, depending on the context and individual coping mechanisms. Through a blend of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, including surveys and in-depth interviews, the study examines the experiences of employees from diverse sectors. It highlights how technostress manifests in different forms: from anxiety and frustration due to constant connectivity to the pressure of adapting to new technologies. The paper also explores the dual role of technology as both a facilitator and a hindrance in the workplace. Significant findings indicate that technostress adversely impacts job performance, leading to decreased productivity, diminished job satisfaction, and increased turnover intentions. However, the study also uncovers that strategic interventions, such as training programs, supportive leadership, and fostering a positive technological culture, can mitigate these negative effects. These interventions not only help in managing technostress but also in harnessing the potential of technology for enhanced job performance. Furthermore, the research proposes a model outlining the relationship between technostress, coping mechanisms, and job performance. This model serves as a framework for organizations to understand and address the challenges posed by technostress. The study concludes with recommendations for future research, particularly in exploring the long-term effects of technostress and the efficacy of various coping strategies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))