Employment in the digital age : IAB statement given at the hearing of the Enquete commission "Digital transformation in North Rhine-Westphalia" of the North Rhine-Westphalian Landtag on 3 May 2019

Abstract

"The increasing availability of machines able to perform tasks that in the past have been carried out by labour is changing the nature of work. During the last years, many occupations have seen the opportunities to integrate machines in the production process grow. While the task structure of manufacturing occupations in particular lends itself to the use of machines, this is increasingly the case for service occupations as well. These developments raise the question whether machines are destined to replace human labour. In order to address this issue, this document summarises the results of a recent establishment survey that discusses the transmission channels through which technology affects the level of employment. Moreover, it provides insights into the degree to which establishments are currently implementing modern technologies. The first key result is that there is no representative establishment when it comes to the adoption of so-called 4.0 technologies. By contrast, occupations fall into two categories: those at the frontier of implementation and those that are lagging behind. Overall, the share of modern technologies in capital stock remains relatively modest as there continue to be substantial investments in slightly older 3.0 technologies. Overall, employment has increased slightly as a result of the investments in technology that have been carried during the last years. Larger effects are found among employment in analytical and interactive tasks. These net effects masks the fact that technology has indeed substituted human labour in routine cognitive as well as routine and non-routine manual tasks but that this effect has been overcompensated by an increase in production that led to an expansion of employment in all task groups. In addition to the effects on size and structure of employment, there might also be an impact on working conditions. Employers may see an increased flexibility on the part of employees as essential, while the preferences of employees may also have changed in the direction of more flexible working arrangements. In view of IAB the existing Arbeitszeitgesetz is well equipped to take account of these developments as long as any changes are the outcome of collective bargaining between employers and employees." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Bauer, F. & Roth, D. (2019): Ausgestaltung von Arbeitsverhältnissen im digitalen Zeitalter. Stellungnahme des IAB zur Anhörung in der Enquete-Kommission "Digitale Transformation der Arbeitswelt in Nordrhein-Westfalen" des nordrhein-westfälischen Landtags am 3. Mai 2019. (IAB-Stellungnahme 13/2019), Nürnberg, 15 p.