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The Impact of New Technologies on the Quality of Work

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Handbook of Life Course Occupational Health

Part of the book series: Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences ((HDBSOHS))

Abstract

Given the importance of digitalization in shaping individual life courses and working lives, this chapter focuses on the transformation of work related to the introduction of new technologies. The chapter starts with a short description and historical account of the digitalization process and with a brief overview of the most recent technologies that are incorporated by organizations. Considering the impact of these new technologies on work and employment, rather than concentrating on the debate of job destruction versus job creation, this chapter highlights the qualitative changes for jobs and workers associated with the introduction of new technologies. Both the potentially beneficial and detrimental impact of technology on several aspects of job quality will be discussed: health and safety, intrinsic characteristics of work, pay and other rewards, terms of employment, work-life balance, representation, and voice. This job quality overview will be complemented by a life course perspective on employment and technology, focusing on the risks and opportunities for careers and the quality of working life in general. The chapter concludes with an overall assessment of the role of technology in shaping the world of work and with some insights on how to include the topic of technological innovation in job quality research.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interface Demography, Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

    Karen Van Aerden, Christophe Vanroelen & Jessie Gevaert

Authors
  1. Karen Van Aerden
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  2. Christophe Vanroelen
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  3. Jessie Gevaert
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christophe Vanroelen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Morten Wahrendorf

  2. Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Tarani Chandola

  3. Univ Angers, CHU Angers, Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail), UMR_S 1085, SFR ICAT, Ester Team, Angers, France

    Alexis Descatha

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Van Aerden, K., Vanroelen, C., Gevaert, J. (2023). The Impact of New Technologies on the Quality of Work. In: Wahrendorf, M., Chandola, T., Descatha, A. (eds) Handbook of Life Course Occupational Health. Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30492-7_26

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