Digital adoption and human capital upscaling: a regional study of the manufacturing sector

Roberto Moncada (), Francesco Carbonero (), Aldo Geuna and Luigi Riso ()
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Roberto Moncada: University of Turin
Francesco Carbonero: University of Turin
Luigi Riso: Catholic University

Small Business Economics, 2025, vol. 64, issue 4, No 20, 2103 pages

Abstract: Abstract We study the effect of the diffusion of digitalization, measured as the level of expenditures in digital technologies, on labor demand within the manufacturing sector. We exploit unique information from a focus study of the quarterly survey of Unioncamere Piemonte (one of Italy’s most industrialized and technologically advanced regions) to measure the extent to which planned digital technologies investments impact hiring propensity, differentiated by educational level. Based on a representative sample of non-micro firms, our findings suggest a positive relationship between digital investments and the probability of hiring highly educated workers, mainly driven by the demand for individuals with a post-secondary technical institute (ITS) diploma and post-MSc qualifications or a PhD in STEM fields. Conversely, we also find that digital investments negatively influence the probability of hiring low-educated individuals, primarily referring to the demand for workers with secondary education. Our results reveal firms’ human capital upscaling dynamics powered by digitalization processes.

Keywords: Digitalization; Hiring propensity; Education; Human capital upscaling; Digital technologies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J23 J24 L60 M51 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s11187-024-00975-3

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