A framework for research on the automation of work

IF 12.9 1区管理学 Q1 BUSINESS

Technological Forecasting and Social Change Pub Date : 2025-03-07 DOI:10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124093

Santiago Melián-González, Jacques Bulchand-Gidumal

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Abstract

Most research on work automation has been conducted using a job-centered approach, which analyzes whether or not a job can be automated. However, this particular perspective can lead to incorrect conclusions. Research has also examined general work activities that do not accurately represent the tasks that workers do. This study proposes a framework for research on work automation that includes multiple scopes of analysis reflecting the scale of technology being analyzed (from technology in general to specific technologies) and the work descriptor being considered (the labor market, occupations, jobs, duties, or tasks). The scope of the analysis determines the type of effects on work and on workers that will be predicted and the relevance and reliability of these predictions. Based on the proposed framework, we assess the impact of technology on an important job in the hotel industry: chambermaids. Compared to other predictions, the results reflect that worker displacement is improbable in this case. In general, job automation is more likely to occur through a combination of partial job automation and work redesign rather than the replacement of entire jobs by technology.

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有关工作自动化的研究大多采用以工作为中心的方法，即分析某项工作能否实现自动化。然而，这种特定的视角可能会导致错误的结论。研究还考察了一般的工作活动，但这些活动并不能准确代表工人的工作任务。本研究提出了一个工作自动化研究框架，其中包括多个分析范围，反映了所分析技术的规模（从一般技术到特定技术）和所考虑的工作描述符（劳动力市场、职业、工作、职责或任务）。分析范围决定了将预测的对工作和工人的影响类型，以及这些预测的相关性和可靠性。根据提出的框架，我们评估了技术对酒店业重要工作的影响：客房服务员。与其他预测相比，结果表明在这种情况下，工人失业的可能性不大。一般来说，工作自动化更有可能通过部分工作自动化和工作重新设计相结合的方式实现，而不是通过技术取代整个工作。

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来源期刊

Technological Forecasting and Social Change Multiple-

CiteScore

21.30

自引率

10.80%

发文量

813

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