Blog Articles

The fact that the pace of technological development is accelerating to unprecedented levels is a key feature of the twenty-first century, which will have a major impact on our lives and will likely bring significant change to the way our societies are shaped.

It is no surprise then that the debate around digitalisation and the future of work is gaining momentum in Brussels and elsewhere.

Two are the key characteristics of this debate so far: there is confusion about even the basics of the topic, and this tends to produce polarised views.

Confusion arises from the interchangeable usage of concepts such as the sharing economy, collaborative platforms, the gig economy, etc. – expressions that all reflect a new way of doing business but that imply very different forms of work when it comes to employment contracts, working conditions and access to social protection.

Polarised views stem from the fact that discussions and predictions on the consequences of this change tend to break future scenarios down into good or evil, often in a way that is more sensational then scientific.

On the one hand, there are supporters of the idea that technological change will have a disruptive effect and result in a sort of dystopia in which many jobs will be destroyed or taking over by robots and artificial intelligence entities, leaving millions of people in our societies without employment, further aggravating the distance between the “haves” and “have nots”.

On the other hand, some have a more optimistic view that plays down any negative consequences, believing instead that technological advancements will bring about a utopian scenario that brings benefits for all, if this change is embraced properly rather than feared.

I personally don’t think this is the right way to address such a fundamental issue, and that is why I really appreciated the report on robotisation produced by the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) and presented recently at an event organised by the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the EU.

The report questions some of these polarised views linked to the second machine age, affirming that the disruptive impact of these developments will be much smaller than forecast (9% of people could lose their jobs according to the OECD, which is a lot less than some alarming predictions as high as 47%) and will probably have a larger horizontal impact on all jobs, reducing the working time for all. At the same time, WRR warns about problems related to the quality of work and the possible emergence of new forms of inequality alongside the deepening of existing ones, calling for the development of an inclusive robot agenda.

However, this doesn’t deny the transformational power of these developments and the dramatic adjustment that will have to be made in our societies, built around the premise of a 40 hour working week. This rethinking is one of the biggest challenges of our era, which will require the involvement of philosophers and sociologists alongside economists and lawyers.

Civil society has a leading role to play in this, making sure that the people mostly affected by these changes will have a say in the development of this new world. Together with our members and through engagement with stakeholders, Social Platform will make this subject a priority in the coming years.