IT
The new issue of SINAPPSI ‘Technological Development, Digitisation, Quality of Work, and Industrial Relations’ has been presented
DIGITAL, INAPP: ‘56% OF WORKERS IN ITALY USE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES’
IMPACTS ON THE QUALITY OF WORK VARY
There are 4 types of digital workers, and generally, the higher the degree of specialisation the higher the quality of work, a picture in line with what happens in Europe. In several cases, however, stress and work pace also tend to increase.
Rome, 7 November 2024 – In Italy, 56% of workers use at least one of the typical tools of advanced technologies, such as automated machinery and systems, information sharing platforms, so-called cloud computing, big data analytics, computer systems for simulating production processes, collaborative robotics and 3D printers associated with additive manufacturing. This is what emerges from the Inapp survey on ‘Quality of work’, conducted on a sample of 15 thousand workers representative of all economic sectors, published in the new issue of the SINAPPSI journal dedicated to ‘Technological Development, Digitisation, Quality of Work, and Industrial Relations’ presented during a conference at the Institute’s Auditorium.
The survey identifies four types of workers based on their use of digital technologies:
· ‘Hard digital’ (24%) who use all the hardware technologies widespread in Italian production systems that have invested in the Industry 4.0 model in recent years;
· ‘Cloud digital’ (17%) that make massive use of cloud computing tools and interact with automated machinery and systems;
· ‘Soft digital’ (7%), employed mainly in activities that require the use of big data analytics and cloud computing;
· ‘Integrated’ (7%), a segment that experiments across the board with the use of software technologies, in combination with classic hardware-type technological devices.
The analysis conducted confirms a direct relationship between the use of technology, the growth of workers’ skills and the improvement of working conditions, particularly for soft digital and cloud digital workers. In fact, about 40% of them state that they ‘have improved their economic condition, development and career prospects and levels of autonomy at work’, compared to an average figure, among non-digital workers, of only 20% on the three aspects. In contrast, 67% of ‘hard digital’ workers, who routinely use hardware devices, consider their work burdensome in terms of discomfort and physical exertion, and about two-thirds of these workers have not improved, or have even worsened, their situation with respect to autonomy, career prospects and economic condition.
Also published in the SINAPPSI journal are the results of the EU-OSHA OSH Pulse survey conducted by the European Commission’s Agency for Health & Safety at Work. The data show, in line with the Italian data, a wide diffusion of basic technologies among workers (73%), but also the emergence, albeit marginal, of the use of wearable devices (11%), such as smart watches, smart glasses, activity trackers. Digital technologies are used by employers to supervise or monitor performance (25.3%), to assign tasks, work schedules or shifts (29.9%) or to evaluate workers’ performance by customers or patients (26.9%). The European survey highlights the increase in psychosocial risks for workers: for 52.3%, it leads to an increase in work pace; for 40%, it leads to an increase in work surveillance levels; and for 33%, it leads to a reduction in work autonomy.
‘The results confirm a generally positive relationship between investments in digital technologies and working conditions, provided they are accompanied by investments in workers’ skills. However, the findings also highlight an increase in the levels of performance monitoring for workers with psychological, social and financial discomfort,’ said Natale Forlani, president of Inapp. ’These issues need careful monitoring, especially with the anticipated development of artificial intelligence applications. We will continue to analyse the impact of these innovations, but right now there is a need to increase the levels of investment in workers‘ skills by adapting active policies and the ability of social partners to regulate the impact of technologies on working conditions in order to prevent significant disparities among workers’
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