Transformation of production processes
In today's information society, the internet is the most
important technology and the driving force of societal and economic transformation.
In sectors using information and communications technology (ICT) as the platform
for innovation, the meaning of the term "work" is undergoing
fundamental change. Global connectivity is leading to problems of definition
between work and leisure, between professional output and play. There are
lasting changes as regards working conditions and qualification requirements in
innovative business areas. As regards competitiveness, highly skilled staff, education
and training as well as knowledge management are all playing an increasingly
important role. There is already an appreciable shortage of qualified labour
especially in the high-tech sectors -despite the high overall unemployment
rate. In a knowledge-based society, the relationship between employees and
employers is characterised by greater dynamic. Ulrich Klotz, member of the Board
of the German Metalworkers' Union (IG Metall), has outlined the changes caused
by the technological revolution as follows: "The work will still be there,
but not the stable job. In the future, a job will come to be seen again as something
you do rather than something you have"1.
In the post-industrial information society, work with
material products has been pushed to the sidelines while digital goods and
services have taken centre-stage. Today, two in five employees in Germany are using a computer for at least half their working day, and every third employee has
access to the internet. Highly qualified jobs in the high-tech sector are
increasingly becoming a driving force for economic prosperity. Technological
innovation and economic growth are mutually reinforcing. Both are based on
complementary investment in physical and human capital. For this reason, modern
economic and structural policy is increasingly defined by educational measures.
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Source: www.dbresearch.com
About the Author:
The author
is working as Senior Economist at Deutsche Bank Research since 2000. His main
responsibilities are the economic analysis of structural changes caused by
innovative information and communications technologies. Before moving to
Deutsche Bank, Dr. Heng worked in a Research Group of Deutsche
Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation). He was awarded a doctorate
by the University of Mannheim in 2000 for his thesis about the economic impacts
of road traffic in Germany. Dr. Heng is the author of several studies and
essays. Amongst others he is affiliated as referee to the International
Telecommunications Society (ITS), and as Young Leader to the Atlantic Bridge association.
