Digitalisation of the economy and its impact on labour markets —

<strong>Digitalisation</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>economy</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>its</strong> <strong>impact</strong> on labour markets
workers, sick workers, or just tired workers. Call center workers, ticket agents,
<strong>and</strong> delivery people all work under similar scripts <strong>and</strong> under comparable
surveillance’ (Irani 2015).
The conclusion reached by Head is that <strong>the</strong> smart machines, by dictating <strong>the</strong>ir
tasks to human workers, could indeed end up deskilling workforces. Yet, while
such a risk exists, he himself believes in a different approach to technology <strong>and</strong>
cites <strong>the</strong> Treuh<strong>and</strong> workshop in Chemnitz, Germany, as presenting one
possibility. ‘The shop uses advanced machining systems to manufacture
components, but strong trade unions facilitate worker control over <strong>the</strong>ir labor.
Managers send specifications to workers trained in craft apprentice traditions
<strong>and</strong> those workers decide how to use machine tools to design <strong>the</strong> component.
The Treuh<strong>and</strong> workers augment <strong>the</strong>ir craft with technology without falling
under managerial microcontrol from a distance.’
The role <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> trade unions is, <strong>the</strong>refore, in this case, to ensure that <strong>the</strong> tech -
nology is <strong>the</strong> tool <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> worker <strong>and</strong> not <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r way round.
2.2.4 Blurring <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> frontier between working life
<strong>and</strong> private life
Ano<strong>the</strong>r feature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> spread <strong>of</strong> new technologies is <strong>the</strong>ir irruption in both <strong>the</strong>
working environment <strong>and</strong> in private life. This is a development likely to
gradually erase <strong>the</strong> frontier between working life <strong>and</strong> private life (reading
emails at <strong>the</strong> weekend, replying, surfing on internet in <strong>the</strong> evening, etc.) <strong>and</strong>
to alter <strong>the</strong> balance between working life <strong>and</strong> family life, for example. Thus ‘<strong>the</strong>
intensification <strong>of</strong> work <strong>and</strong> excessive connection to work-linked devices are
likely to damage <strong>the</strong> balance in life, <strong>and</strong> even to harm employees’ health’
(Mettling 2015).
What, in <strong>the</strong> workplace (<strong>and</strong> here we are no longer speaking <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> digital
platforms), is <strong>the</strong> likely <strong>impact</strong> on working time <strong>of</strong> this blurring phenomenon?
It is still very difficult to conduct an analysis because <strong>the</strong>re seems to be a
paucity <strong>of</strong> data on this subject. That an <strong>impact</strong> does exist, however, seems
certain. ‘In increasing numbers <strong>of</strong> cases, <strong>the</strong> workload is not always best
measured by <strong>the</strong> working hours. It is <strong>the</strong>refore desirable to develop alternative
approaches’ (Mettling 2015: 18). How, indeed, in a world <strong>of</strong> distance-connected
working, is it possible to enforce <strong>the</strong> provisions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> European working time
directive 2003/88/EC – provisions on maximum working hours, on daily rest
periods, etc.?
Employers retort that <strong>the</strong> irruption <strong>of</strong> new technologies within working life has
also contributed to an irruption <strong>of</strong> private life within working life, e.g. <strong>the</strong>
consultation <strong>of</strong> private emails or <strong>of</strong> Facebook page, etc. during working hours.
WP 2016.02
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