Digitale Arbeitswelt – Chancen und Herausforderungen für Beschäftigte und Arbeitsmarkt
Der digitale Wandel der Arbeitswelt gilt als eine der großen Herausforderungen für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. Wie arbeiten wir in Zukunft? Welche Auswirkungen hat die Digitalisierung und die Nutzung Künstlicher Intelligenz auf Beschäftigung und Arbeitsmarkt? Welche Qualifikationen werden künftig benötigt? Wie verändern sich Tätigkeiten und Berufe? Welche arbeits- und sozialrechtlichen Konsequenzen ergeben sich daraus?
Dieses Themendossier dokumentiert Forschungsergebnisse zum Thema in den verschiedenen Wirtschaftsbereichen und Regionen.
Im Filter „Autorenschaft“ können Sie auf IAB-(Mit-)Autorenschaft eingrenzen.
- Gesamtbetrachtungen/Positionen
- Arbeitsformen, Arbeitszeit und Gesundheit
- Qualifikationsanforderungen und Berufe
- Arbeitsplatz- und Beschäftigungseffekte
- Wirtschaftsbereiche
- Arbeits- und sozialrechtliche Aspekte / digitale soziale Sicherung
- Deutschland
- Andere Länder/ internationaler Vergleich
- Besondere Personengruppen
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Literaturhinweis
Re‐Skilling in the Age of Skill Shortage: Adult Education Rather Than Active Labor Market Policy: Special Issue: Bringing the Ecological and the Social Together in the Green Transition: A Multilevel Analysis (2026)
Zitatform
Bonoli, Giuliano, Patrick Emmenegger & Alina Felder-Stindt (2026): Re‐Skilling in the Age of Skill Shortage: Adult Education Rather Than Active Labor Market Policy. Special Issue: Bringing the Ecological and the Social Together in the Green Transition: A Multilevel Analysis. In: Regulation and governance, Jg. 20, H. 2, S. 482-494. DOI:10.1111/rego.70065
Abstract
"European economies face the task of providing the necessary skills for the “twin transition ” in a period of skill shortage. As a result, we may expect countries to reorient their labor market policy towards re-skilling. We look for evidence of a reorientation in two relevant policy fields: active labor market policy (ALMP) and adult education (AE). We explore general trends in both fields based on quantitative indicators and compare recent policy developments in four countries with strong ALMP and AE sectors: Denmark, France, Germany, and Sweden. We do not observe clear evidence of a general movement away from activation and towards re-skilling in ALMP. However, in AE, we identify several re-skilling initiatives that address skill shortages. Relying on insights from queuing theories of hiring and training, we argue that due to changes in the population targeted by ALMP, the locus of re-skilling policy is increasingly moving towards AE." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Der KI-Irrtum: Warum Deutschland auf Zuwanderung angewiesen ist: Leitartikel (2026)
Zitatform
Brücker, Herbert, Yuliya Kosyakova & Enzo Weber (2026): Der KI-Irrtum: Warum Deutschland auf Zuwanderung angewiesen ist. Leitartikel. In: Wirtschaftsdienst, Jg. 106, H. 5, S. 304-305. DOI:10.2478/wd-2026-0074
Abstract
"Sieben Millionen - so viele Arbeitskräfte wird Deutschland in den nächsten 15 Jahren allein aufgrund des demografischen Wandels verlieren. Bereits seit vielen Jahren ist der demografische Effekt negativ, mit mehr als 400.000 Arbeitskräften pro Jahr. Tatsächlich beginnt der deutsche Arbeitsmarkt jedoch erst jetzt zu schrumpfen. Denn bislang konnte dieser Rückgang überkompensiert werden - durch eine steigende Erwerbsbeteiligung von Älteren und Frauen; und vor allem durch Zuwanderung. Doch diese Ausgleichsmechanismen stoßen zunehmend an Grenzen. Europa altert insgesamt, und die Dynamik der Zuwanderung innerhalb Europas nimmt ab. Zugleich sind viele der besonders mobilen, jüngeren Kohorten bereits gewandert. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird Migration schwieriger - und genau hier setzt ein verbreitetes Argument an: Wenn Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) zunehmend Aufgaben übernimmt, braucht man doch keine zusätzlichen Arbeitskräfte mehr. Diese Folgerung ist ein Trugschluss. Arbeitskräfteknappheit lässt sich gesamtwirtschaftlich nicht einfach wegdigitalisieren." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Das knappe Gut Arbeit: Automatisierung, Arbeitskräftemangel und sozialer Konflikt (2026)
Zitatform
Butollo, Florian (2026): Das knappe Gut Arbeit. Automatisierung, Arbeitskräftemangel und sozialer Konflikt. (Edition Suhrkamp 2815), Berlin: Suhrkamp Verlag, 254 Seiten.
Abstract
"Angesichts von Digitalisierung und Künstlicher Intelligenz wird allerorten vor massiven Arbeitsplatzverlusten gewarnt. Gleichzeitig reißen die Klagen über Fachkräftemangel nicht ab, zahllose Stellen bleiben unbesetzt, und dem Pflegesektor droht der Kollaps. Florian Butollo geht diesem Paradoxon auf den Grund und analysiert, warum gerade Automatisierung immer mehr Arbeit schafft – und damit zur Keimzelle eines neuen sozialen Konflikts wird: Die anbrechende Ära der Arbeitskräfteknappheit ist geprägt vom Leiden an Überlastung und den Kämpfen dagegen. Zugleich stellt sich die Frage nach der Sinnhaftigkeit von Arbeit neu: Wofür wollen wir angesichts sozialer und ökologischer Krisen künftig unsere Arbeitskraft einsetzen – und welche Tätigkeiten können verschwinden?" (Verlagsangaben, IAB-Doku)
Weiterführende Informationen
Inhaltsverzeichnis -
Literaturhinweis
Crowdwork als Beruf?: Subjektivierung, Kompetenzerwerb und Lernen in der digitalen Plattformarbeit (2026)
Büchter, Karin; Li-Gottwald, Jiayin; Kleemann, Frank; Schlömer, Tobias; Eckelt, Marcus; Krzywdzinski, Martin ;Zitatform
Büchter, Karin, Tobias Schlömer, Frank Kleemann, Martin Krzywdzinski, Marcus Eckelt & Jiayin Li-Gottwald (Hrsg.) (2026): Crowdwork als Beruf? Subjektivierung, Kompetenzerwerb und Lernen in der digitalen Plattformarbeit. Verlag Barbara Budrich: Berlin, 314 S. DOI:10.3224/84743131
Abstract
"Crowdwork ist eine junge Arbeitsform, bei der einzelne Arbeitstätigkeiten über Online-Plattformen an externe Arbeitskräfte vergeben werden. Der Band präsentiert Erkenntnisse aus einem breit angelegten Forschungsprojekt, in dem arbeitssoziologische, berufs- und wirtschaftspädagogische Perspektiven auf das Tätigsein, auf Lernpraktiken von Crowdworker*innen und auf die individuelle Bedeutung plattformbasierter Arbeit eingenommen werden. Die Beiträge setzen sich mit Aspekten wie Subjektivierung, Wissensgenerierung, Kompetenzentwicklung, Beruflichkeit und Lernen in der plattformbasierten Arbeit auseinander." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Making digital welfare work: conceptualizing digital compensatory work by frontline professionals (2026)
Carlsson, Julia S.; Svensson, Petra M.; Hjärpe, Teres;Zitatform
Carlsson, Julia S., Teres Hjärpe & Petra M. Svensson (2026): Making digital welfare work: conceptualizing digital compensatory work by frontline professionals. In: Journal of Professions and Organization, Jg. 13, H. 3, S. 1-17. DOI:10.1093/jpo/joag011
Abstract
"Digital technologies in welfare organizations frequently generate gaps, ambiguities, and misalignments that require professional intervention. Yet prior research has tended to portray frontline workers mainly as resistant or adaptive actors, leaving under-examined their active contributions to sustaining broader digital infrastructures. This article introduces the concept of digital compensatory work to capture how professionals intervene when specific digital technologies fall short of their own standards for professional service delivery. Drawing on an exploratory literature review, we identify three forms of such compensatory work: complementing digital technologies, rectifying their shortcomings, and dismissing them when they conflict with professional judgment. By theorizing these practices, the article expands existing understandings of professional discretion in digital welfare services, shifting attention from resistance and adaptation to value-driven interventions that actively uphold service quality within digital infrastructures. In doing so, it contributes to debates on digital welfare and highlights the essential role of professional agency in sustaining human service organizations under conditions of digital transformation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Revisiting the occupational impact of AI in the generative AI era (2026)
Casas, P.; González-Vázquez, I.; Salotti, S.; Martínez-Plumed, F.; Gómez, E.; Fernández-Macías, E.;Zitatform
Casas, P., E. Fernández-Macías, F. Martínez-Plumed, E. Gómez, I. González-Vázquez & S. Salotti (2026): Revisiting the occupational impact of AI in the generative AI era. (JRC working papers series on labour, education and technology 2026,02), Sevilla, 71 S.
Abstract
"Generative AI is reshaping what artificial intelligence can do in the workplace, calling into question pre-GenAI assessments of which workers and tasks are most exposed. In this paper we trace the evolution of AI exposure in the European labour market from 2008 to 2024 by linking 352 AI benchmarks to 14 cognitive abilities, 108 work tasks and 127 ISCO-3 occupations, weighting benchmarks by their research intensity in the AI literature and thus deriving AI exposure by cognitive ability. Bundling work tasks into occupations based on intensity indicators, we explore occupational exposure to AI. We find that the cognitive abilities most exposed to the recent surge of AI research are ideas-related, such as attention and search, comprehension and expression and logical reasoning. Because the associated information processing and problem-solving tasks are the most transversal across occupations, we find an exponential increase in AI exposure across all occupational categories of workers, even though comparatively high-skilled occupations are more exposed than elementary occupations. This points at a substantial and transversal labour market impact of AI." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
How welfare states influence online platform work in Europe (2026)
Zitatform
Chueri, Juliana & Petter Törnberg (2026): How welfare states influence online platform work in Europe. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 36, H. 2, S. 119-135. DOI:10.1177/09589287251357463
Abstract
"Digital labor platforms are reshaping global labor markets by enabling the transnational contracting of service workers. While the dominant perspective emphasizes market forces, predicting that lower-wage countries will dominate the supply side, this view overlooks the institutional context in which platform labor emerges. This paper advances the argument that national welfare institutions are key to shaping participation in the platform economy. We provide the first large-scale cross-national comparative analysis of platform labor, combining micro-level data from one of the world’s largest remote work platforms with country-level indicators from 26 European countries. In line with market expectations, we find that lower-wage countries supply most low-skilled labor, while higher-wage countries show a more balanced distribution between low- and high-skilled workers. Crucially, however, our analysis reveals that greater welfare state generosity is associated with lower levels of platform participation, especially in low-skilled occupations. We argue that platform labor cannot be understood solely as a function of technological change or wage differentials. It is also an expression of structural constraints: where social protections are weak, people are more likely to turn to precarious forms of online work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The EU compromise machine and the politicisation of social policy: Lessons from the regulation of platform work (2026)
Zitatform
Crespy, Amandine, Bastian Kenn, Matteo Marenco & Slavina Spasova (2026): The EU compromise machine and the politicisation of social policy: Lessons from the regulation of platform work. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 36, H. 1, S. 18-33. DOI:10.1177/09589287251345912
Abstract
"Over the past few years, the legal status and the working conditions of platform workers have been among the most debated manifestations of the digital transformation of work. Tense negotiations on the EU platform work directive (from 2021 to 2024) epitomize long-standing conflicts in EU social policymaking, namely the opposition between capital and labor, on the one hand, and resistance to EU involvement or impact on Member States’ social arrangements, on the other. This paper provides an in-depth inquiry of the policy process by focussing specifically on the presumption of employment in platform work, which was first proposed as an EU-wide provision and eventually nationalized with its definition left to national arrangements. Drawing on this case and mobilizing the literature on positive integration entrepreneurship, and politicization, we shed light on the ‘drivers’ and ‘inhibitors’ of EU social regulation. On the one hand, we provide evidence that joint entrepreneurship of the European Parliament (EP) and the European Commission is a primary driver and argue for acknowledging the role of the EP as a key entrepreneur of ‘Social Europe’. On the other hand, divisions in the Council, underpinned by domestic politics, hinder ambitious social policy regulation at EU level in several respects. Furthermore, we tease out the role of politicization and theorize its ambivalent role as both a driver and inhibitor, depending on contingent party political orientations, contextual factors, but also the role played by Council presidencies, so far overlooked in the literature. We conclude that the drivers and inhibitors we identify, and the resulting dynamics of compromise, are relevant beyond the case of platform work. While stressing the crucial, yet ambivalent, role of politicization, our findings cast a shadow on what has recently been described as a great come back of ‘Social Europe’ with the European Pillar of Social Rights." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Measuring Task-Based Advanced Automation Technologies & Digital Assistance Systems in the National Educational Panel Study (2026)
Zitatform
Dicks, Alexander, Martin Ehlert, Insa Grüttgen, Benjamin Schulz & Basha Vicari (2026): Measuring Task-Based Advanced Automation Technologies & Digital Assistance Systems in the National Educational Panel Study. (NEPS Survey Papers 128), Bamberg, 31 S. DOI:10.5157/NEPS:SP128:1.0
Abstract
"Wir stellen ein neues taskbasiertes Instrument zur Messung der Automatisierung am Arbeitsplatz vor. Dabei bezeichnen wir die Automatisierungstechnologien als „digitale Assistenzsysteme“, die wir als fortschrittliche Automatisierungssysteme definieren, wie beispielsweise Software und Geräte, die Aufgaben automatisch ausführen, um die Arbeitnehmer zu unterstützen. Dazu gehören Chatbots mit künstlicher Intelligenz, Algorithmen zur Bild- und Videoerstellung, Tools für vorausschauende Wartung und Analyse, digitale Anleitungssysteme sowie Wearables und kollaborative Roboter. Aufbauend auf dem taskbasierten Ansatz und unter Berücksichtigung der jüngsten technologischen Fortschritte haben wir für das Nationale Bildungspanel (NEPS) sieben Items entwickelt, die verschiedene Arten von digitalen Assistenzsystemen erfassen. Ergebnisse auf Grundlage von Daten der NEPS-Startkohorten 4 und 6 zeigen, dass die Nutzung der digitalen Assistenzsysteme je nach Alter und Bildungsniveau variiert und mit komplementären beruflichen Aufgaben sowie Indikatoren für die Digitalisierung am Arbeitsplatz korreliert. Das neue Instrument ergänzt bestehende NEPS-Items zur Digitalisierung am Arbeitsplatz und bietet Potenzial für eine Längsschnittanalyse des technologischen Wandels am Arbeitsplatz und dessen Auswirkungen auf Qualifikationsanforderungen, Ungleichheit und lebenslanges Lernen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Biased by Design? Case Managers' Multidimensional Preferences Toward the Design of Algorithmic Decision Support Systems (2026)
Zitatform
Dietz, Martin, Christopher Osiander, Mareike Sirman-Winkler & Markus Tepe (2026): Biased by Design? Case Managers' Multidimensional Preferences Toward the Design of Algorithmic Decision Support Systems. In: Public Administration Review, S. 1-14. DOI:10.1111/puar.70111
Abstract
"This study examines whether street-level bureaucrats' preferences toward algorithmic decision support (ADS) induce a unilateral shift of technology-related risks onto clients of the public employment service. Expanding on public value theory and research on moral agency in public service work, we argue that case managers' choices of ADS designs are shaped by a plurality of professional, service, and efficiency values. To test this argument, we conducted a conjoint experiment on a representative sample of German Federal Employment Agency case managers. Respondents compared pairs of hypothetical ADS systems that differed in their design features, reflecting varying degrees of the realization of public values. The empirical results indicate that case managers' choices do not result in biased design. Instead, case managers balance design features reflecting professional and service values while maintaining administrative efficiency. Case managers appreciate ADS support but firmly reject the mandatory use of such advice." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Wiley) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Impact of robotics on unemployment: Moderating effect of the national culture (2026)
Zitatform
Du, Guangjie, Suman Lodh, Monomita Nandy, Marina Dabić, Vikas Kumar & Jyoti Choudrie (2026): Impact of robotics on unemployment: Moderating effect of the national culture. In: Technological forecasting & social change, Jg. 227. DOI:10.1016/j.techfore.2026.124643
Abstract
"The integration of robotics has created significant opportunities while simultaneously introduced labour market challenges. The aim of this exploratory research is to investigate the impact of robotic adoption on unemployment in a cross-country context. By presenting a novel theoretical framework that integrates the Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) and the Absorptive Capacity Theory (ACT), and analysing a panel data from 33 countries, we show that countries with stronger absorptive capacity are better positioned to convert robotics adoption into employment gains. We further test whether national culture, proxied by Hofstede's cultural dimensions, moderates this relationship, uncovering a substantial heterogeneity across six cultural factors. This provides a practical blueprint for policymakers with clear evidence that uniform approaches to robotics adoption are unlikely to be effective and robotics policies must be tailored to local cultural norms, institutional capabilities, and national readiness. The policymaker should prioritise capability building alongside adjustment measures that support inclusive labour-market transitions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Algorithmic Profiling: Effective Tool for Targeting Active Labour Market Policies? (2026)
Zitatform
Eppel, Rainer, Ulrike Huemer, Helmut Mahringer & Lukas Schmoigl (2026): Algorithmic Profiling: Effective Tool for Targeting Active Labour Market Policies? In: Labour, S. 1-20. DOI:10.1111/labr.70013
Abstract
"Digitisation has sparked interest in automated decision making in Public Employment Services (PES). We evaluate an algorithmic profiling model in Austria that predicts the reemployment prospects of unemployed individuals to classify and assign them to active labour market policies. Our analysis shows that reallocating resources from jobseekers with low to medium prospects, as proposed by the PES, does not yield the expected efficiency gains. We find no systematic evidence that programmes are less effective for individuals with low predicted employment prospects than for those with medium prospects. These findings caution against crude algorithmic profiling and highlight the need for nuanced targeting strategies that prioritise the most disadvantaged jobseekers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Toward a Bad Job Economy: AI Adoption, Agency Costs, and Job Design (2026)
Zitatform
Fahn, Matthias, Jin Li & Chang Sun (2026): Toward a Bad Job Economy: AI Adoption, Agency Costs, and Job Design. (CESifo working paper 12612), München, 23 S., App.
Abstract
"We study how AI affects compensation and job design when performance depends on workers' non-contractible effort. In a principal–agent model with limited liability, AI reduces effort costs but disproportionately lowers the cost of achieving satisfactory performance. This raises the incentive cost of sustaining high effort and can induce firms to replace high-wage, high-effort good jobs with low-wage, low-effort bad jobs, even when good jobs create more total surplus. As a result, AI can lower wages, reduce worker welfare, and even depress profits. If workers can adopt AI unilaterally, adoption occurs even when the resulting equilibrium harms both parties; when adoption requires worker cooperation, resistance is strongest where AI erodes rents embodied in good jobs. In a search-and-matching extension, endogenous outside options amplify these forces, reinforcing a bad-job economy and potentially reducing employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelt - Fluch und Segen zugleich (2026)
Franke, Andreas; Hildt, Elisabeth;Zitatform
Franke, Andreas & Elisabeth Hildt (2026): Digitalisierung der Arbeitswelt - Fluch und Segen zugleich. In: IAB-Forum H. 16.03.2026. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20260316.01
Abstract
"Die Arbeitswelt unterliegt seit einigen Jahren einer rasanten Digitalisierung. Damit sind sowohl Chancen als auch Risiken für die psychische Gesundheit der Beschäftigten verbunden. Zudem ergeben sich daraus handfeste ethische Implikationen. So droht nicht zuletzt ein Gerechtigkeitsproblem, weil bestimmte Gruppen von Beschäftigten eher Gefahr laufen als andere, durch die Digitalisierung Nachteile zu erfahren und mit der digitalen Entwicklung nicht mehr Schritt halten zu können." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
App-based delivery services in Germany: Why people take up gig-work and usually quit quickly (2026)
Zitatform
Friedrich, Martin, Ines Helm, Ramona Jost, Julia Lang & Christoph Müller (2026): App-based delivery services in Germany: Why people take up gig-work and usually quit quickly. In: IAB-Forum H. 27.04.2026. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20260427.01
Abstract
"App-based delivery services have spread rapidly in Germany in recent years. This has also fuelled public debate about the poor working conditions of the gig-workers in these services. However, there is still little reliable information about what motivates people to take on gig-work. Similarly, little is known about workers’ reasons for leaving these mostly short-term jobs." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Künstliche Intelligenz in deutschen Betrieben: Jeder vierte Betrieb nutzt mittlerweile generative KI (2026)
Zitatform
Friedrich, Martin & Christian Kagerl (2026): Künstliche Intelligenz in deutschen Betrieben: Jeder vierte Betrieb nutzt mittlerweile generative KI. (IAB-Kurzbericht 08/2026), Nürnberg, 8 S. DOI:10.48720/IAB.KB.2608
Abstract
"Generativer Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) wird häufig bescheinigt, die Wirtschaft fundamental zu verändern. Wie verbreitet diese Technologie bereits in deutschen Betrieben ist, zeigen aktuelle Auswertungen aus dem IAB-Betriebspanel. Daten zum Themenschwerpunkt „Generative KI“ wurden 2025 erstmals erhoben." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
Weiterführende Informationen
- Weiterbildung und Regelungen zum Umgang mit der Technologie in Betrieben, die generative KI nutzen
- Art des betrieblichen Einsatzes von KI
- Entwicklung des betrieblichen Einsatzes von KI
- Determinanten der Wahrscheinlichkeit, generative KI im Betrieb zu nutzen
- Generative KI in deutschen Betrieben
- IAB-Forum Video
- Verbreitung von KI nach Betriebsgröße, Betriebsalter und Branchen
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Literaturhinweis
Retirement decisions in the age of COVID-19 pandemic: are older employees in digital occupations working longer? (2026)
Zitatform
Gallo, Giovanni & Amparo Nagore García (2026): Retirement decisions in the age of COVID-19 pandemic: are older employees in digital occupations working longer? In: Review of Economics of the Household, S. 1-34. DOI:10.1007/s11150-025-09827-9
Abstract
"This paper investigates the retirement response to the pandemic and to the resulting acceleration in the adoption of new technologies. Using the European Union Statistics of Income and Living Conditions datasets and leveraging the natural experiment of many workers being forced to work from home in Europe during the lockdown, we compare the retirement response of older workers in digital occupations (i.e. more exposed to the accelerated adoption of new technologies) versus non-digital occupations to detect any differences in retirement behaviour, which we interpret as digitalization effects. In addition, we analyze changes in retirement decisions by gender and geographic area. We find that retirement rates increased during COVID-19 in Europe, especially in Mediterranean countries and among women. This trend may be linked to gender occupational segregation. In Mediterranean countries, digitalization increases female retirement, likely due to challenges in balancing digital work and family responsibilities while working from home. In Eastern countries, and to a lesser extent in Northern countries, digitalization leads to postponing retirement among women, likely due to greater gender equality in unpaid work. In contrast, the retirement age for men is less affected by the pandemic with no significant differences between digital and non-digital occupations. This may exacerbate the existing gender gap in labor force participation and pension outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Endogenous Task Bundling, Skills and Automation (2026)
Zitatform
Gans, Joshua S. (2026): Endogenous Task Bundling, Skills and Automation. (NBER working paper / National Bureau of Economic Research 35211), Cambridge, Mass, 48 S.
Abstract
"Empirical measures of AI's wage effect typically hold fixed the bundle of activities a worker is paid for at its pre-AI shape. We argue that this assumption hides much of the action. When automation breaks a job apart, firms decide how to recombine the surviving activities; whether they rebundle them into one broad role or split them into specialist roles changes which surviving skills the labour market actually rewards. A skill that played no role in the pre-AI wage can become the dominant component of the post-AI wage, while a skill that anchored the pre-AI wage can disappear from the schedule. We develop an assignment model in which the priced human bundle is endogenous, and we use it to show that a fixed-bundle wage regression can mis-sign the effect of AI exposure. In general, the omitted-redesign bias has no unconditional sign: it is the residual covariance between exposure and role-specific redesign terms. Under explicit sufficient conditions, exposure-correlated unbundling loads specialist comparative-advantage premia onto the exposure coefficient, while exposure-correlated rebundling loads a different, often opposite, omitted term. The sign must therefore be measured from local post-AI partition changes rather than assumed from exposure alone." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
AI‐powered skill classification: mapping technology intensity in the German labour market (2026)
Zitatform
Genz, Sabrina, Terry Gregory & Florian Lehmer (2026): AI‐powered skill classification: mapping technology intensity in the German labour market. In: Fiscal Studies, Jg. 47, H. 1, S. 25-51., 2026-02-20. DOI:10.1111/1475-5890.70020
Abstract
"The rapid evolution of technology is reshaping labour markets by altering skill demands and job profiles. This paper introduces a novel skill-based measure of occupational technology intensity – the occupational technology skill share (OTSS) – that distinguishes between manual, digital and frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI). Using natural language processing, generative AI and supervised machine learning, we develop an AI-powered skill classification that enriches occupation-linked skill labels with standardised GenAI-generated descriptions and structured indicators of technological content, enabling transparent classification by technology intensity. We compute OTSS for all occupations in the German labour market. For the average worker in 2023, manual technologies account for the largest share of skill content (42 per cent), followed by digital (38 per cent) and frontier technologies (20 per cent). Frontier technologies remain concentrated in specialised occupations, while digital technologies are widespread. Linking these measures to administrative data from 2012 to 2023 shows a broad shift from manual and digital toward frontier skills across occupations, and reveals a non-linear, U-shaped relationship between changes in frontier skill intensity and employment growth." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Outsourcing Domestic Work in the Crisis of Social Reproduction: Platform‐Mediated Cleaning and the Role of Clients (2026)
Zitatform
Gerold, Stefanie, Katarzyna Gruszka, Karin Sardadvar, Hendrik Theine & Anna Pillinger (2026): Outsourcing Domestic Work in the Crisis of Social Reproduction: Platform‐Mediated Cleaning and the Role of Clients. In: New Technology, Work and Employment, Jg. 41, H. 2, S. 186-197. DOI:10.1111/ntwe.70015
Abstract
"Amid the crisis of social reproduction, outsourcing domestic work has become increasingly appealing, with labour platforms offering new avenues to do so. This article explores the largely overlooked perspective of clients using platform-mediated cleaning services, focusing on Helpling in Germany. Drawing on a multi-method study, we examine clients’ motivations for hiring cleaners through platforms and their perceptions of working conditions. We also analyse interactions between clients and cleaners, and how these are shaped by the platform. Our findings suggest that platforms like Helpling are attractive because of their convenience and their promise of an allegedly legal alternative to informal arrangements. While some clients express concerns over precarious working conditions, others justify them through market logic or assumptions about cleaners’ backgrounds. The platform infrastructure helps mediate trust, yet personal relations between clients and cleaners limit the platform's strategy of delegating management and control mechanisms to clients." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
Aspekt auswählen:
- Gesamtbetrachtungen/Positionen
- Arbeitsformen, Arbeitszeit und Gesundheit
- Qualifikationsanforderungen und Berufe
- Arbeitsplatz- und Beschäftigungseffekte
- Wirtschaftsbereiche
- Arbeits- und sozialrechtliche Aspekte / digitale soziale Sicherung
- Deutschland
- Andere Länder/ internationaler Vergleich
- Besondere Personengruppen