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Den digitala åldern: möjligheter och utmaningar för arbete och sysselsättning

Människans förmåga att lagra, överföra och manipulera information har ökat enormt de senaste åren till följd av innovationer inom datorteknik och telekommunikation. Informations- och kommunikationstekniken får betydande konsekvenser i nästan alla områden av ekonomin, och leder till att den tekniska utvecklingen går allt snabbare. Arbetet, dess innehåll, organisation och utformning, samt lagstiftningen och skyddet i samband med arbete genomgår samtidigt en stor förändring i denna digitala ålder. Förändringarna leder också ofta till otydliga gränser mellan olika aspekter av arbetet och mellan arbete, anställning och aktiviteter utanför arbetet.

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From January to June 2022, Eurofound supported the work of France's presidency of the Council of the EU, providing valuable research results on specific topics linked with the presidency priorities.

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EU context

Politiska beslutsfattare behöver få kunskaper som hjälper dem att hantera frågor om effektiv reglering, hur det sociala skyddet i dess vidaste bemärkelse kan tillgodoses och hur man kan balansera kraven från företag, samhällen och enskilda när det gäller att utnyttja den stora potential som digitaliseringen erbjuder.

Europeiska kommissionen antog sin strategi för en inre digital marknad för Europa 2015 och lyfte fram den som en av sina politiska prioriteringar. Strategin kan skapa digitala möjligheter för medborgare och företag och dess mål är att stärka EU:s ställning som världsledande i den digitala ekonomin. Strategin är tänkt att öka tillgången till information, leda till jobb för dem som har rätt digitala färdigheter och omvandla de offentliga tjänsterna.  Eftersom delningsekonomin ökar runtom i EU försöker kommissionen att uppmuntra utvecklingen av nya och innovativa tjänster och samtidigt se till att det finns lämpliga skyddsåtgärder. I kommissionens meddelande om den europeiska agendan för delningsekonomin 2016 klargörs bestämmelserna och de politiska rekommendationerna på detta område för medborgare, företag och medlemsstaterna.

Eurofounds arbete

Eurofound undersöker de bredare konsekvenserna för arbetsvillkoren, arbetslagstiftningen och bortom detta till följd av den ökande omfattningen och spännvidden av digitala tekniker på arbetsmarknaden.

Effekterna på sysselsättningen som banbrytande teknologi har på tjänsteområdet håller på att utredas. Eurofound undersöker också konsekvenserna av plattformsekonomin för arbetsmarknaden, och i synnerhet s.k. crowd employment (utkontrakteringen av arbetsuppgifter via internet till en grupp arbetstagare). Vidare fortsätter forskningen om arbets- och anställningsvillkoren för IKT-baserade mobila arbetstagare.

Arbetets och sysselsättningens art i den digitala åldern kommer att undersökas och fokus ligger på

Viktiga bidrag

I en rapport framtagen tillsammans med Internationella arbetsorganisationen (ILO) på temat ”arbete när som helst och var som helst” har man undersökt effekten av distansarbete och IKT-mobilt arbete på valda delar av arbetsvillkoren.

Eurofounds seminarieserie ger regeringar, fackföreningar och arbetsgivare möjlighet att diskutera utvecklingen av EU:s social-, sysselsättnings- och arbetsmarknadspolitik. Under 2016 var seminarieserien inriktad på effekterna av digitaliseringen på arbete och framtagningen av nationella agendor för bättre genomförande av digitala förändringar.

Key outputs

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Automation and digitisation technologies, including artificial intelligence, are rapidly evolving and becoming increasingly powerful and pervasive. The full range of their effects in the workplace is yet to be seen...

12 september 2023
Publication
Research report

Current and ongoing research

 

Other ongoing work

  • In 2021, Eurofound will finalise and publish its 2020 work programme research on the impact of digitisation technologies on work organisation and working conditions and launch its online flagship resource on digitalisation.

 

Eurofound expert(s)

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Sara Riso is a research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound. She is involved in research projects in the areas of employment change and restructuring. She joined...

Research manager,
Working life research unit
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Tina Weber is a research manager in Eurofound’s Working Life unit. Having previously shared her time between the Employment and Working Life units, her work has focused on labour...

Research manager,
Working life research unit
Publications results (44)

Employment levels in the EU27 recovered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2021 much faster than they did after the global financial crisis in 2008–2010. This was despite the immediate job loss effects of the two crises being of comparable scale. Demographic change is affecting labour

28 March 2024

Automation and digitisation technologies, including artificial intelligence, are rapidly evolving and becoming increasingly powerful and pervasive. The full range of their effects in the workplace is yet to be seen. It is, however, important not only to explore the ethical implications of digital te

12 September 2023

I denna rapport behandlas covid-19-krisens inverkan på de sociala tjänsterna i EU. Pandemin hade en negativ inverkan på de sociala tjänsterna, men tack vare den drog vi samtidigt lärdomar av hur vi kan anpassa de sociala tjänsterna för att hantera nya utmaningar och sociala risker. En lärdom är att

16 August 2023

The rise of the platform economy during the last decade is one of the main disrupting forces for European labour markets. While standard employment remains the norm, platforms are expanding their reach and diversifying into novel business models. In doing so, they are also attracting an increasing n

16 May 2023

On request by the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Eurofound prepared a background paper as a basis for the discussion at the informal Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) meeting on 3-4 May 2023. The paper outlines some of the key challenges

04 May 2023

Allteftersom ekonomin återhämtar sig från covid-19-pandemin blir bristen på arbetskraft allt tydligare trots att kriget i Ukraina har påverkat energi- och råvarupriserna. Inom vissa sektorer och yrken har denna brist varit endemisk sedan en tid tillbaka, och har nu förvärrats av krisen. I denna

28 March 2023

I denna rapport presenteras Eurofounds forskning om distansarbete under covid-19-pandemin 2020 och 2021. I rapporten undersöks förändringar i omfattningen av distansarbete, arbetsvillkoren för anställda som arbetar hemifrån och ändringar av bestämmelser som tar itu med frågor som rör denna

08 December 2022

Banksektorn till privatkunder är en utmärkt bransch att titta på om man vill undersöka digitaliseringens effekter på arbete och sysselsättning. Finansiella tjänster erbjuds i allt högre grad direkt på nätet, utan att föregås av fysiska möten med kunderna. Många banker inom sektorn har genomgått en

26 September 2022

In collecting information on essential services, the European Commission requested Eurofound to provide input on certain aspects of existing and planned measures in the Member States to improve access to essential services in reference to Principle 20 of the European Pillar of Social Rights. For

07 September 2022

Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns. Recently, the policy debate surrounding these concerns has become more prominent and has

30 May 2022

Online resources results (25)
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Bank restructuring: disruptors versus incumbents

While high-street banks reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic by accelerating the push to digitalisation and cutting jobs, some digital-only banks are recruiting new staff to meet growing demand. An example is the ‘disruptor’ bank Revolut which has recently announced the creation of 1,000 jobs worldwide

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Twin transition and pandemic challenge Eurofound to increase expertise, strengthen partnerships, expand reach, says new Director

Eurofound welcomed Ivailo Kalfin to his new role as Executive Director on 1 June. After one month in the job, he reflects on the challenges facing the EU, how they will impact on the work of Eurofound and his priorities for shaping the Agency over the next five years.

Telework, ICT-based mobile work in Europe: Trends, challenges and the right to disconnect 11 March 2021 - EMCO virtual meeting hosted by the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union Presentation by Oscar Vargas Llave, Research Manager, Eurofound

16 mars 2021

Working remotely: An overview of trends, opportunities, challenges and risks 9 March 2021 Presentation by Irene Mandl, Head of unit - Employment, Eurofound

9 mars 2021

Connecting and disconnecting and work-life balance 9 March 2021 Presentation by Tina Weber, Research manager - Employment unit, Eurofound

9 mars 2021
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Coronavirus highlights sick pay void for platform workers

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is starting to have a serious impact on the world economy. The consequences for platform workers are especially severe in light of forced work stoppages due to self-isolation and lack of sick pay in many cases. Recent media coverage shows that platform workers in

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Amazon’s expansion in Europe

The U.S. online retail giant Amazon is investing heavily in Europe, creating 11,580 jobs in 2018 alone. As Europe turns towards e-commerce, automation and digitalisation, Amazon will play a key role in reshaping the retail sector. But its impacts are unlikely to be confined to retail alone.


Blogs results (23)
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The platform economy is one of those moving targets, which, despite receiving increasing media and policy attention, has proven difficult to regulate. Given the heterogeneity of employment relationships, business models, types of platform work and cross-border issues, this is not surprising. Yet, in

27 september 2022
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Telework has become a permanent feature of working life in Europe. While we’ve seen the benefits of more flexible ways of working – particularly during the pandemic – the problems that arise from an increasingly connected life are also becoming clearer. Unfortunately, legislation alone may not be

13 juli 2022
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The answer is yes – potentially. Assessing the environmental benefits of telework is a complex task, because any move to work from home involves a series of changes in individuals’ daily lives and activities, as well as company-level decisions, that may positively or negatively influence the level

23 juni 2022
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Whether it is couch surfing, baby-sitting, pizza delivery or getting Ikea furniture assembled by somebody who can do it better, platforms can mediate all kinds of voluntary or professional services. Platform work is at the heart of the ‘sharing economy’. But while this may sound like a new form of

31 mars 2022
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When it comes to Europe’s COVID-19 recovery and its aspiration to build back a more resilient society, the so-called green and digital transitions have dominated EU policy discussions. And as Eurofound made preparations for the 2022 Foundation Forum – a unique occasion for high-level debate on the

11 mars 2022
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The advent of AI has far more consequences for how work is organised, performed and valued than any previous technological revolution. In order to make the most of this digital transformation we need inclusive and nuanced policy debates on its employment effects and how to future-proof policies: we

8 december 2021
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The massive and rapid adoption of telework in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 lockdowns exposed gaps in the legislation governing telework arrangements across the EU Member States. In some cases, there was no regulation in place; in others, it was too restrictive. Governments scrambled to put

31 maj 2021
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While 2020 may come to be seen as the year platform work gathered pace and started to go mainstream – thanks in large part to COVID-19 containment measures sparking an increase in food and grocery delivery – 2021 could be the year that regulation of platform work is set in motion. The well-known

24 februari 2021
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The COVID-19 pandemic compelled governments to take exceptional measures to monitor and control the spread of the Coronavirus. Among them was the introduction in most EU Member States of tracking apps to gather data on citizens who have contracted the virus and to trace their contacts, a measure

13 januari 2021
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​​​​​​​With remote working becoming the new normal for many workers, it is surely the case that many employers are anxious to ensure that their employees are putting in full working days. Companies are likely to be investing in and deploying digital technologies for tracking employee performance

9 december 2020

Upcoming publications results (4)

This report reviews the quality of the national social partners’ involvement in the implementation of the reforms and investments shaping the digital and green transition in the context of national policymaking. These reforms and investments stem mainly from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

March 2025

Over the last decade, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have changed the way employees work and communicate with each other. Despite the many benefits of digitalisation of work, the widespread access to digital devices in working life provides an alternative medium for new forms of a

September 2024

This report investigates regional employment dynamics in Europe before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the subsequent recovery from the crisis. Almost 90% of regions across the EU had exceeded their pre-pandemic employment levels by 2022. However, significant regional disparities in emp

August 2024

The interaction between workers and robots is expected to increase in modern workplaces due to rapid advancements in robotic technologies. Advanced robots often leverage progress in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and sensor technologies to achieve a higher level of sophistication and

July 2024
Forthcoming
Publication
Research report
Data results (1)
24 oktober 2023
Reference period:

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