The future of work in the digital age 

The debate about the future of work in the digital age is increasingly relevant. A vast amount of jobs depend on a good internet connection, and markets are becoming more dynamic than ever before. Introducing new products rapidly, and new work habits more frequently, is offering new opportunities but also presenting new challenges. 

Santo Milasi, one of the lead authors of a report on the future of work from the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission in-house science service, was invited to hold a session during DEVCO learning event on Vocational and Educational Training (VET),  organised in February 2020. 

The following are the key learning points of his presentation on the future of work in the digital age.

Job automation

Some jobs are more exposed to automation than others. Assemblers, machine operators and drivers, for instance, are at the forefront, as they operate within the routine intensive mechanism and might, therefore, be easily replaced by machines. Yet, some medium-skilled jobs, such as sales workers, ICT technicians, as well as some high-skilled ones, such as teachers and doctors, might also be impacted by the advancement in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Their work also includes routine intensive mechanism. A positive example of this could be for doctors to use artificial intelligence when making the diagnosis and by doing this, saving time to talk with their patient and explaining his/her condition and remedies.

In the following video, Santo Milasi explains the changing nature of work and skills in the digital age.

The impact of new technologies for developing countries

In countries where the labour market is still mostly unstructured, with a high share of informal economy and an important agricultural sector, the repercussion of new technologies will be different than in other advanced countries. A large share of jobs in agriculture and in the construction sector, for instance, could be potentially at risk of automation. Yet, the fact that wages remain low in these countries, may somehow lessen this effect. Developing new technologies may indeed cost more and be less attractive in these sectors.

At the same time, workers in developing countries, as they see an increase in the service sector, will be required to leverage their digital skills together with their non-cognitive social skills, such as communication, planning and teamwork. These observations are being done in advanced countries, but they will apply to emerging economies and developing countries in the near future.

The rise of platform work

One of the most visible and debated effects of new technologies on new forms of employment is the emergence of platform work. Around 11% of the population across the 16 EU countries (1) analysed by the JRC, have provided their services through digital platforms at least once. This includes high-skilled services, like software development, writing, and translation, but also services such as taxi driving, food delivery or housekeeping for which workers use an online platform to meet with their clients. 

Among the selected 16 EU countries, however, only 1.4% of the EU population provide services through online platforms as their main working activity. Therefore, even if online work platforms remain a highly relevant policy discussion, the extent of platform work is still marginal, at least in Europe. Looking at professional services, most of the job opportunities for platform work exist in advanced countries but they are taken up in the emerging world, especially in English-speaking countries with high digital skills, such as India and Bangladesh.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is often considered as being the queen of new technologies because it promises to increase productivity in a wider range of industries. It can perform tasks without being explicitly programmed for that purpose. Machines can learn from their own experience, but they need data. Therefore, and especially for developing countries, it is important to start collecting data about citizens, workers, and the functioning of markets in order to seize the opportunity of AI.

The changing nature of work 

The nature of work has evolved in and outside of Europe in the last years with the rise of new technologies. Digital tools have generated new forms of labour. They have encouraged us all to adapt and think about how we operate with them. These changes create new opportunities, but they also force us to face new challenges whether in Europe or in developing countries.

(1) Finland, Sweden, UK, Czechia, Denmark, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Austria, Poland, Greece, Slovenia, Slovak Republic, Lithuania.

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