[eccr] report: The computerisation of the labour market

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REPORT
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The computerisation of the labour market

The relationship between technology and labour has been the subject of
public interest and debate for centuries. Foremost among the current
concerns of the discussion is the relationship between computer use,
wage inequality and the demand for skills.

A new study by MERIT / Infonomics researcher Bas ter Weel provides an
understanding of the determinants of computer use, how computerisation
changes the way in which people work, and how computerisation impacts
the wage structure and the allocation of workers to jobs.

The study finds that the wage costs in relation to the costs of
computers are the most important determinant of computer adoption and
that skills, level of education and experience have no significant
impact on computer use. Furthermore, the changing wage distribution as
a
result of computerisation is likely to be a temporary one. The third
main finding is that computerisation has led to skill upgrading as the
computer takes over routinised job activities, leaving the non-
routinised tasks to be carried out by the worker.

See: http://meritbbs.unimaas.nl/staff/bas/terweel.html


source: ICT Weekly
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Rico Lie
http://home.pi.be/rl


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