Documents future of work 743 results

"This paper sets out to analyse the digital economy and changes in work by sifting elements of continuity from others that are radically new. Aspects examined are: genuinely new features encountered in the digital economy model; major instances of technological change observable in the working environment; new forms of work in the digital economy; distance and employment relationships; challenges entailed in regulating a labour world shorn of its customary structures. The study concludes with some considerations on the meaning of work in environments characterised by an increasing interplay of the virtual and the real."

"All of a sudden, everybody's talking about the gig economy. From taxi drivers to pizza deliverers to the unemployed, we are all aware of the huge changes that it is driving in our lives as workers, consumers and citizens.

This is the first comprehensive overview of this highly topical subject. Drawing upon years of research, stories from gig workers, and a review of the key trends and debates, Jamie Woodcock and Mark Graham shed light on how the gig economy came to be, how it works and what it's like to work in it. They show that, although it has facilitated innovative new services and created jobs for millions, it is not without cost. It allows businesses and governments to generate value while passing significant risk and responsibility onto the workers that make it possible. This is not, however, an argument for turning back the clock. Instead, the authors outline four strategies that can produce a fairer platform economy that works for everyone. "

"Whilst only in the second decade of the 21st century, we have seen significant and fundamental change in the way we work, where we work, how we work and the conditions of work. The continued advancements of (smart) technology and artificial intelligence, globalisation and deregulation can provide a ‘sleek' view of the world of work. This paradigm can deliver the opportunity to both control work and provide new challenges in this emerging virtual and global workplace with 24/7 connectivity, as the boundaries of the traditional organisation ‘melt' away.

Throughout the developed world the notions of work and employment are becoming increasingly separated and for some this will provide new opportunities in entrepreneurial and self-managed work. However, the alternate or ‘bleak' perspectives is a world of work where globalisation and technology work together to eliminate or minimise employment, underpinning standardised employment with less and less stable or secure work, typified by the rise of the ‘gig' economy and creating more extreme work, in terms of working hours, conditions and rewards. These aspects of work are likely to have a significant negative impact on the workforce in these environments.

These transformations are creating renewed interest in how work and the workforce is organised and managed and its relationship to employment in a period when all predictions are that the pace of change will only accelerate."

"A virus is haunting Europe. And it could strike again. This year's 20th anniversary issue of our flagship publication Benchmarking Working Europe brings to a growing audience of trade unionists, industrial relations specialists and policymakers a simple warning: beside SARS-CoV-2, the virus that has caused the Covid-19 pandemic and thrown Europe's economies into a sudden and profound recession, ‘austerity' is the other nefarious agent from which workers, and Europe as a whole, need to be protected in the challenging months and years ahead. At this point in time, a new wave of austerity could not only undermine the post-Covid recovery, but it could also fundamentally undermine the European social and economic integration project.

It is essential to note from the outset that there are enough signs to justify some cautious optimism about the future trajectory of the present crisis. Just as the scientific community appears to be on the verge of producing one or more effective and affordable vaccines that could generate widespread immunity against SARS-CoV-2, it is also clear that policymakers, at both national and European levels, are now approaching this challenging juncture in a way that departs from the austerity-driven responses deployed a decade ago, in the aftermath of the previous crisis (Sabato and Mandelli 2021). It is particularly apt for the 20th anniversary issue of Benchmarking, a publication that has allowed the ETUI and the ETUC to contribute to key European debates (Daly et al. 2020) on the basis of fact-based analysis, to set out our case for a socially responsive and ecologically sustainable road out of the Covid-19 crisis. In doing so, we will explore some of the key (mis)steps in the way Europe responded to the previous crisis so as to further emphasise the paradigm change that the response to the current crisis necessitates."

"Intelligence artificielle, robotique, impression 3D, industrie 4.0, objets connectés, blockchain : la liste est longue des menaces que l'évolution technologique fait peser sur les emplois existants. Au-delà même de ces possibles pertes d'emploi, c'est l'ensemble du travail qui va en être changé. Mais la conviction des auteurs est que l'avenir du travail n'est pas déterminé par la seule technologie, ni par les seules évolutions économiques. Ces technologies sont également porteuses d'autres modes d'organisation du travail, qui peuvent être mises au service d'un travail humain augmenté, plus impliquant, plus engagé, en termes de sens, d'éthique, de qualité et de créativité. En matière de statuts, de contractualisation, d'organisation horaire et de localisation, le travail prend des formes de plus en plus diverses. De même, de nouveaux modes de reconnaissance et de rétribution apparaissent, comme autant de manières de créer de la valeur économique ou sociale. A travers 3 scénarios, l'ouvrage anticipe les futurs possibles, selon qu'ils seront déterminés au fil de l'eau par l'implémentation passive des technologies ; ou repris en main, au service d'une amélioration et d'un enrichissement du travail. Il questionne également la régulation du travail par le droit, et la façon dont il peut intégrer la contrainte écologique et environnementale, devenue prégnante au plan mondial. Le temps de travail, l'éducation et la formation, ou la protection sociale, ne sortiront pas indemnes de ces évolutions."

"Work organization practices, including work flexibility, are changing and can affect worker well-being. Common work flexibility types include working at home, taking time off when needed, and changing one's work schedule. Given the changes in and the importance of work flexibility, the study assesses its prevalence and association with worker well-being in the United States. We used 2002–2018 General Social Survey—Quality of Worklife (GSS-QWL) data, descriptive statistics, and regression analyses to assess the reported likelihood of job stress, job satisfaction, healthy days, and days with activity limitations among workers reporting work flexibility. The prevalence of work flexibility remained relatively stable during the period examined. Working at home increased the likelihood of job stress by 22% and job satisfaction by 65%. Taking time off decreased the likelihood of job stress by 56% and days with activity limitations by 24%, and more than doubled the likelihood of job satisfaction. Changing one's schedule decreased the likelihood of job stress by 20% and increased the likelihood of job satisfaction by 62%. This study used all the available data from GSS-QWL and demonstrated the ongoing importance of work flexibility for well-being."

"How will the world of work look like in 2030? Based on today's megatrends artificial intelligence (AI), climate change, population aging, and others, the author develops scenarios for possible Futures of Work in different regions of the world: Robots have not replaced humans but AI and smart machines have become indispensable parts of our working lives. Efforts to mitigate climate change may fail but still trigger an ecological transformation that leads us into a more sustainable future. Mass production might enter its last decades but people may instead work in small shops and in more agile organizations. Can we work without jobs? In all these transformations AI and the digitalization are likely to play crucial roles. Whatever the future will be in 2030, thinking through such scenarios helps us perceiving opportunities and risks today, and shape the Future of Work that we want."