1996 - European Telework Week

Telework 96
2.2. The employment and economic impacts of advanced communications, and
social trends of communications services -PACE 95
2.2.1. Introduction
One important basis for European union policies on growth and employment is the belief
that a rapid transition to an “Information Society” through fast deployment of advanced
communications infrastructures and services, will generate competitive advantages for
business, greater flexibility in employment and more jobs, and new sustainable economic
growth.
It is extremely difficult to substantiate this belief in quantitative terms. Much of the
change involve in developing an information society is structural, and simple
extrapolation of past trends is not a reliable guide to the future.
The transition will also be associated with great volatility: some business sectors will
decline, others will grow, and yet move will appear. Many traditional jobs will disappear,
but (we hope) even more new jobs will be created.
The four research projects, for which the key results are summarised here, all looked in
different ways at the possible impacts of advanced communications deployment:
• the AD-EMPLOY project at the impact on jobs
• the ACCORDE projects at the impact on regional development and European cohesion
• the SOCIAL TRENDS project on changes in lifestyles and on use of electronic media
• the METIER project on growth and trade.
2.2.2. About the impact on jobs
The increasing take up of advanced communications services in the European economy
is contributing strongly to job creation and to improvements in the quality of work.
Development and use of advanced services was responsible for 60 % of new privatesector
jobs creation in Denmark between 1976 and 1990.
Key message 1:
The overall conclusion of the study is that the increasing take up of advanced
communications services in the European economy can, under the right conditions,
strongly contribute to job creation and to improvements in the quality of work.
Organisation in both the private and public sector should therefore be encouraged and
enabled to increase their use of advanced communications services as much as possible,
and in ways which enhance job creation and improvements in the quality of work.
The growth of advanced communications services represents a new sector of economic
activity which should be supported and fostered. Such services not only generate jobs in
their own right, but as they tend to be knowledge intensive, they also support the shift
towards quality-based production and services in user industries.
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