Digital skills in context: Working with robots in lower-skilled jobs

Caroline Lloyd and Jonathan Payne
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Caroline Lloyd: School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, UK
Jonathan Payne: The Department of Politics, People and Place, Faculty of Business and Law, De Montfort University, UK

Economic and Industrial Democracy, 2023, vol. 44, issue 4, 1084-1104

Abstract: Digital skills are increasingly presented as essential for work and labour market inclusion, with fears the low-skilled could be left behind. Lack of clarity about these new skill demands and limited evidence from the workplace have prompted calls to unpack skill requirements in specific sectors and occupations. This article analyses digital skills in relation to wider skills and knowledge required in a job, and examines the influence of the workplace, sector and national institutional context. The study focuses on robotic technologies in lower-skilled jobs, drawing on the experience of food and drink processing operatives, and logistic porters and service workers in public hospitals, in Norway and the UK. The article contributes to the conceptualisation of digital skills, probes country differences, and offers a grounded understanding of the challenges presented for workers in lower-skilled jobs.

Keywords: Digital skills; food and drink processing; hospital logistics; lower-skilled jobs; Norway; robots; UK (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ecoind:v:44:y:2023:i:4:p:1084-1104

DOI: 10.1177/0143831X221111416

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