
International Labour and Employment Relations Association

Does technology use impact UK workers’ quality of life? A report on worker wellbeing

Working Paper prepared by Magdalena Soffia, Rolando Leiva-Granados, Xingzuo Zhou2and Jolene Skordis. (Institute for the Future of Work, University College London)

Contemporary workplaces are seeing the rapid introduction of automation technologies, impacting both cognitive and manual tasks across a range of industries, regardless of organisational size (Hayton et al., 2023). However, the effect on worker wellbeing of these profound transformations to their work has been little studied to date, making this an important area of focus for the Pissarides Review. This paper investigates the possible effects of a range of workplace technologies on the health-related quality of life of UK employees, both to mitigate any negative effects and to improve our understanding of how ‘good automation’ might improve societal wellbeing.

The impact of artificial intelligence on employment: the role of virtual agglomeration

By Yang Shen & Xiuwu Zhang

Sustainable Development Goal 8 proposes the promotion of full and productive employment for all. Intelligent production factors, such as robots, the Internet of Things, and extensive data analysis, are reshaping the dynamics of labour supply and demand. In China, which is a developing country with a large population and labour force, analysing the impact of artificial intelligence technology on the labour market is of particular importance. Based on panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2006 to 2020, a two-way fixed-effect model and the two-stage least squares method are used to analyse the impact of AI on employment and to assess its heterogeneity. The introduction and installation of artificial intelligence technology as represented by industrial robots in Chinese enterprises has increased the number of jobs. The results of some mechanism studies show that the increase of labour productivity, the deepening of capital and the refinement of the division of labour that has been introduced into industrial enterprises through the introduction of robotics have successfully mitigated the damaging impact of the adoption of robot technology on employment. Rather than the traditional perceptions of robotics crowding out labour jobs, the overall impact on the labour market has exerted a promotional effect. The positive effect of artificial intelligence on employment exhibits an inevitable heterogeneity, and it serves to relatively improve the job share of women and workers in labour-intensive industries. Mechanism research has shown that virtual agglomeration, which evolved from traditional industrial agglomeration in the era of the digital economy, is an important channel for increasing employment. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the impact of modern digital technologies on the well-being of people in developing countries. To give full play to the positive role of artificial intelligence technology in employment, we should improve the social security system, accelerate the process of developing high-end domestic robots and deepen the reform of the education and training system.

(Source:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-024-02647-9)

Digital technology adoption and globalization innovation implications on Asian Pacific green sustainable economic growth

By Khalid Eltayeb Elfaki, and Elsadig Musa Ahmed

Technology adoption and globalization internalization plays a remarkable role to enhance innovations and knowledge and technology transfer, enabling companies to access wide-ranging markets, encouraging foreign direct investment, collaboration and smart partnerships along with conveying knowledge within and among the nations in technological creativity, globalization-based technology transfer, and intellectual property development to implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This is study aims to examine digital technology adoption and globalization innovation implications on green sustainable economic growth on Asian Pacific selected countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Japan, India, Korea, China, New Zealand, Australia) via integrating digital technology adoption (digitalization and digitization), globalization, and environmental quality.

(Source:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2199853124000155)

Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), Un camino digital para el desarrollo sostenible de América Latina y el Caribe

La transformación digital trasciende la coyuntura y está generando nuevos modelos de consumo y producción que están redefiniendo los paradigmas de crecimiento y desarrollo. En los últimos años, los países de América Latina y el Caribe han impulsado políticas que han permitido importantes avances en materia de conectividad, así́ como programas de digitalización de la educación, la salud y los servicios de gobierno electrónico, con ajustes en los marcos regulatorios correspondientes. A pesar de ello, persisten significativas brechas digitales de acceso y uso, tanto en los países de la región como entre ellos, así como respecto de las economías más avanzadas.

El presente documento contribuye al debate y la acción para el despliegue y uso de las tecnologías digitales a nivel nacional y regional, con el fin de apoyar procesos de desarrollo inclusivos y sostenibles. Se exponen y analizan los avances y desafíos en áreas clave para la aceleración de la digitalización, como el sector productivo, el gobierno, la transición verde, el empleo y el mercado laboral y las ciudades inteligentes y revisa el estado de las agendas digitales en la región, en particular en lo referente a nuevos temas emergentes, y se presentan recomendaciones para mejorar la gobernanza, las alianzas y fortalecer la cooperación regional y el proceso hacia un mercado digital regional.

(Source:
https://repositorio.cepal.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a978ff0a-06bf-42ad-84d4-388c8ccecef4/content)

About ILERA

The International Labour and Employment Relations Association (ILERA) was established in 1967. Its general purpose is to promote the study of labour and employment relations throughout the world in relevant academic disciplines, by such means as:
• encouraging the establishment and development of national associations of labour and employment relations specialists;
• facilitating the spread of information about significant developments in research and education in the field of labour and employment relations;
• organising worldwide and regional congresses; and
• promoting internationally planned research, by organising study groups on particular topics.

HOW TO JOIN:

Industrial relations directors, officers or practitioners as well as social dialogue specialists, labour administrators, employment relations specialists, human resource consultants, members and representatives of workers’ and employers’ organizations, government officials, labour lawyers, students, academics and all others dealing with employee relations would greatly benefit from becoming a member of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association and from participating in our congresses.

Types of membership
There are three categories of members of ILERA namely, full member (or national member), institutional associate member, individual associate member.
• Full Members may be national or regional industrial relations associations, the primary purpose of which is the advancement of knowledge and research in the industrial and employment relations field or national or regional committees where such associations do not exist.
• Individual associate membership is open to persons engaged in industrial relations research or teaching activities in academic or research institutions, as well as practitioners in the industrial relations field
• Institutional associate membership is open to universities and colleges or departments thereof and other research institutes concerned with the scholarly study of industrial relations.

Join us

Upcoming Events

ILERA World Congress 2024 (combined with LERA and FMCS
June 26-30, 2024, New York

CRIMT 2024 CONFERENCE
24-26 October 2024, HEC Montreal

Platform workers: Council confirms agreement on new rules to improve their working conditions

On 11 March 2024, under the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, EU employment and social affairs ministers confirmed the provisional agreement reached on 8 February 2024 between the Council’s presidency and the European Parliament’s negotiators on the platform work directive. This EU legal act aims to improve working conditions and regulate the use of algorithms by digital labour platforms.

The directive will make the use of algorithms in human resources management more transparent, ensuring that automated systems are monitored by qualified staff and that workers have the right to contest automated decisions. It will also help correctly determine the employment status of persons working for platforms, enabling them to benefit from any labour rights they are entitled to.

See more at: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2024/03/11/platform-workers-council-confirms-agreement-on-new-rules-to-improve-their-working-conditions/

ILO: Rising unemployment and inequality are challenges for the G20 in 2024

In a projection for 2024, a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) reveals that the global unemployment rate is set to rise, along with inequalities. The Employment WG has drawn up guidelines in line with the global scenario and proposes ways out of the worrying scenario. approximately 435 million workers will be looking for a job by 2024, estimates the World Employment and Social Outlook Report: Trends to 2024 of ILO - International Labour Organization. The study also shows that even with the reduction in unemployment in the post Covid-19 pandemic, salaries have fallen in most G20 countries, as the positive results have failed to keep pace with inflation. For the United Nations agency, the scenario is worrying and unlikely to be improved in the short term.

Among the G20 countries, only China, Russia and Mexico recorded real salary growth in 2023. Last year, the Chinese and Russians still achieved productivity growth among the highest of the member countries. In the others, workers saw their real remuneration fall. The reduction was even more accentuated in Brazil (6.9%), Italy (5%) and Indonesia (3.5%).

See more at: https://www.g20.org/en/news/ilo-rising-unemployment-and-inequality-are-challenges-for-the-g20-in-2024

The editor in chief for this edition of the ILERA Newsletter is Eleonora Peliza

Member of de Executive Committee of Ilera. (Americas). Professor of Comparative Labor Law Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero. Research Fellow at IDEIDES–UNTREF (Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Law and Labor Relations. Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero- Argentina). Professor of Labour Law, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. (UCA) and Universidad de Morón (UM). Labor Law Judge.

Contact: eleonorapeliza@uca.edu.ar

New Books

Women and work in Asia and the Pacific: Experiences, Challenges and Ways Forward

By Jane Parker, Marian Baird, Noelle Donnelly and Rae Cooper

More information

Become a member now and don't miss anything: click here

Our mailing address is:

ILERA

Route Des Morillons 4

CP 500

Geneve 1202

Switzerland

Add us to your address book

If you wish to unsubscribe, please click on the link below.
Please note this is an automated operation.

https://adestra.ilo.org/u/1yf4PV8wmup