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The Digitalization Boost of the Covid‐19 Pandemic and Changes in Job Quality
[journal article]
Abstract The Covid‐19 pandemic caused a digitalization boost, mainly through the rise of telework. Even before the pandemic, advancing digital transformation restructured the way of working and thereby changed the quality of jobs - albeit at a different pace across occupations. With data from the German Nati... view more
The Covid‐19 pandemic caused a digitalization boost, mainly through the rise of telework. Even before the pandemic, advancing digital transformation restructured the way of working and thereby changed the quality of jobs - albeit at a different pace across occupations. With data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), we examine how job quality and the use of digital technologies changed during the first pandemic year in different occupations. Building on this, we analyze change score models to investigate how increased workplace digitalization connects to changes in selected aspects of employees' subjective job quality. We find only a weak association between the digitalization boost in different occupational fields and the overall decrease in subjective job quality. However, telework - as one aspect of digitalization - is connected to a smaller decrease in work–family reconciliation and conformable working hours. Thus, it may buffer some detrimental pandemic effects on job quality. In addition, telework is connected to increased information overload, creating a new burden for specific employee groups.... view less
Keywords
digitalization; telecommuting; job; occupation; epidemic; job design
Classification
Sociology of Work, Industrial Sociology, Industrial Relations
Free Keywords
digitalized workplaces; information overload; job quality; telework; work autonomy
Document language
English
Publication Year
2023
Page/Pages
p. 274-286
Journal
Social Inclusion, 11 (2023) 4
Issue topic
Digitalization of Working Worlds and Social Inclusion
ISSN
2183-2803
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed