A lose-lose game? The twin transition and the division of labor in the European automotive supplier industry

Martin Krzywdzinski, Monika Martišková, Patrik Gažo, Ştefan Guga, Tibor Meszmann and Katarzyna Rakowska

EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, 2026, issue OnlineFirst, 24 pages

Abstract: The twin transition - automation/digitalization and the shift to electromobility - poses major challenges for the European automotive supplier industry. This article examines how these transformations reshape plant roles and labor-use strategies in Germany and Central and Eastern/South Eastern Europe (CEE/SEE), regions historically linked through an integrated division of labor. The paper addresses three questions: (1) How have lead plant functions evolved between 2016 and 2024? (2) What differences do we observe between German and CEE/SEE automotive supplier plants with regard to the twin transition? (3) What differences do we observe between Germany and CEE/SEE with regard to labor-use strategies? The analysis draws on two surveys of employee representatives in supplier plants (Germany and five CEE/SEE countries) conducted in 2016 and 2024. Findings indicate slight erosion of German lead plant roles without corresponding upgrade in CEE/SEE; limited but stronger efforts in Germany toward electromobility; and persistent national differences in automation and labor-use strategies, with Germany maintaining high-skill approaches and CEE/SEE relying primarily on semi- and low-skilled labor.

Keywords: automotive industry; automation; electromobility; labor-use strategies; skills (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:espost:341338

DOI: 10.1177/09596801261454480

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