Women’s Employment and Digital Technology: A Regional Analysis in India

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-442
Author(s):  
Balwant Singh Mehta ◽  
Ishwar Awasthi ◽  
Nidhi Mehta
Keyword(s):  
New Technologies ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Women's Employment ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
Women’S Employment ◽  
Future Of Work ◽  
The Future

The article explores women’s employment and the future of work due to the changing nature of jobs as a result of the onslaught of new technologies. Adoption of new digital technologies, industry 4.0 technologies and the increasing influence of platform or gig economy has had intense effects on the ‘future of work’, causing dramatic changes. Further, COVID-19 has severely impacted the economy, especially women, reflected in the consistent fall in female labour force participation across states. The unemployment rate (UR) is significantly higher among urban women. A large proportion of woman workers are vulnerable from automation because of their low-skill and the unskilled and routine nature of their work. The risk of automation is much higher in the case of women working in manufacturing and modern services. Women in India are engaged largely in traditional jobs with low level of education and skill, and having limited or negligible social security, particularly in the unorganised sector. The article is based on the secondary data provided by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) and uses the International Labour Organization (ILO) skill framework. The analysis clearly shows that skill sets among women is abysmally low. Noticeably, enhancing skill development as per the emerging market demand, including digital literacy, will go a long way to expand job opportunities for women.

scholarly journals Covariates of Currently Married Women's Employment in Nepal: A Regional Analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 62-78
Author(s):  
Ramesh Babu Kafle
Keyword(s):  
Regional Differences ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Women's Employment ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Women’S Employment ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Education Of Women

This paper studies regional differences in currently married women’s employment status, its nature and some of the covariates in Nepal, with special focus to their education and economic status by analysing data from Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, 2011. Women’s employment, with substantial regional variation in the three ecological regions, is predominately unpaid, done mainly for family members, mostly in agriculture sector and women work throughout the year. Women are employed mainly in family farm and their job is unpaid. Higher education of women is positively associated with their involvement in paid jobs. Women of better wealth strata are less likely to be employed but if employed, they are more likely to be in paid jobs. Increasing education of women may have mixed effect in future. Policy measures are desirable to minimize these regional differences and to reallocate the total labour force in general and the female labour force in particular in more productive sectors with secured paid jobs for women for prosperity of the country.

scholarly journals Social and Solidarity Economy and the Future of Work* This paper draws on a work that was previously published by the ILO and is available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—ed_emp/—emp_ent/—coop/documents/publication/wcms_573160.pdf (Copyright © International Labour Organization 2017.)

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Borzaga ◽  
Gianluca Salvatori ◽  
Riccardo Bodini
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Solidarity Economy ◽  
Future Of Work ◽  
The Future

The global economy is affected by significant economic, technological and demographic changes that threaten to reduce decent work opportunities at a time when the demand for employment is growing, and economic inequalities are higher than ever. New technologies and automation are increasingly replacing human workers, and the sectors that are less likely to be affected by these phenomena and more likely to grow in the near future (e.g., like personal services) are also more prone to informal or non-standard forms of employment. In this context, significant attention is being paid to the social and solidarity economy (SSE) as a viable option to address some of these challenges. Indeed, while the SSE comprises a diverse and heterogeneous universe of organisational models and approaches, the main actors within the SSE share a set of common features that make them ideally suited to take on some of the key issues related to the future of work. The article reviews the main theoretical arguments and empirical evidence on the features and role of SSE organisations, paying particular attention to their implications for the creation and preservation of decent work. The analysis shows that SSE organisations can indeed help create and preserve employment in traditional sectors and promote decent work by providing quality and stable jobs, facilitating women’s entry into the labour force, integrating disadvantaged workers and helping the transition from informal to formal employment. The article also argues that SSE organisations can help channel jobs in emerging sectors like the ‘silver economy’ that are at risk of non-standard forms of work, within entrepreneurial organisations that can provide more structure and security. This will be particularly important in the coming years, as a larger share of employment will come from the service sector (including in particular personal care and social services) and will be much less structured than in the past due to the rise of the gig economy. The article concludes with a review of the main policy implications, briefly describing the types of initiatives, both at the national and international levels, that could lend the SSE the support it needs in order to fulfil its potential and help improve the future of work.

Stepping back to move forward: Centering capital in discussions of technology and the future of work

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 129-133
Author(s):  
Benjamin Shestakofsky
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Robotic Systems ◽  
Future Of Work ◽  
Technological Unemployment ◽  
The Future ◽  
Constructivist Approaches ◽  
The Relationship

Some researchers have warned that advances in artificial intelligence will increasingly allow employers to substitute human workers with software and robotic systems, heralding an impending wave of technological unemployment. By attending to the particular contexts in which new technologies are developed and implemented, others have revealed that there is nothing inevitable about the future of work, and that there is instead the potential for a diversity of models for organizing the relationship between work and artificial intelligence. Although these social constructivist approaches allow researchers to identify sources of contingency in technological outcomes, they are less useful in explaining how aims and outcomes can converge across diverse settings. In this essay, I make the case that researchers of work and technology should endeavor to link the outcomes of artificial intelligence systems not only to their immediate environments but also to less visible—but nevertheless deeply influential—structural features of societies. I demonstrate the utility of this approach by elaborating on how finance capital structures technology choices in the workplace. I argue that investigating how the structure of ownership influences a firm’s technology choices can open our eyes to alternative models and politics of technological development, improving our understanding of how to make innovation work for everyone instead of allowing the benefits generated by technological change to be hoarded by a select few.

Institutional barriers to women’s employment in Saudi Arabia

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 713-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abeer Alfarran ◽  
Joanne Pyke ◽  
Pauline Stanton
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Women's Employment ◽  
Employment Policy ◽  
Institutional Barriers ◽  
Women’S Employment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Saudi Women

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of the Saudi employment programme “Nitaqat” in addressing institutional barriers to women’s employment in the Saudi private sector. The paper has a particular focus on the perspectives of unemployed women as the intended recipients of increased employment opportunities. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a qualitative approach, drawing on findings from face-to-face interviews conducted with two groups of stakeholders, government officials and unemployed Saudi women. Findings Four key findings are identified. First, the considerable cultural and regulatory barriers of a conservative society are resilient impediments to the success of Saudi employment policy. Second, discrimination against women is endemic in the Saudi society; however, it is largely unrecognised within the Saudi culture and often accepted by women themselves. Third, due to government regulations, cultural constraints and the gendered educational system, the private sector contributes to sustaining labour market segmentation through discriminatory practices. Finally, while a positive change is taking place in Saudi Arabia regarding women’s employment, it is incremental and uneven. Originality/value This paper provides new insights into the institutional barriers related to the labour force participation of Saudi women from the perspective of Saudi women themselves.

scholarly journals Future-proof: preparing young Canadians for the future of work

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Creig Lamb ◽  
Sarah Doyle
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Resource Scarcity ◽  
Technology And Innovation ◽  
Future Of Work ◽  
The Future ◽  
Demographic Shifts ◽  
And Robotics

There are a number of major trends that have the potential to shape the future of work, from climate change and resource scarcity to demographic shifts resulting from an aging population and immigration. This report focuses on the need to prepare Canada’s youth for a future where a great number of jobs will be rapidly created, altered or made obsolete by technology. Successive waves of technological advancements have rocked global economies for centuries, reconfiguring the labour force and giving rise to new economic opportunities with each wave. Modern advances, including artificial intelligence and robotics, once again have the potential to transform the economy, perhaps more rapidly and more dramatically than ever before. As past pillars of Canada’s economic growth become less reliable, harnessing technology and innovation will become increasingly important in driving productivity and growth.

scholarly journals Automation, AI and the Future of Work in India

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Hammer ◽  
Suparna Karmakar
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Informal Economy ◽  
State Policy ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
National Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Of Work ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Work And Employment

PurposeThis research contributes to current debates on automation and the future of work, a much-hyped but under researched area, in emerging economies through a particular focus on India. It assesses the national strategy on artificial intelligence and explores the impact of automation on the Indian labour market, work and employment to inform policy.Design/methodology/approachThe article critically assesses the National Strategy on AI, promulgated by NITI Aayog (a national policy think tank), supported by the government of India and top industry associations, through a sectoral analysis. The key dimensions of the national strategy are examined against scholarship on the political economy of work in India to better understand the possible impact of automation on work.FindingsThe study shows that technology is not free from the wider dynamics that surround the world of work. The adoption of new technologies is likely to occur in niches in the manufacturing and services sectors, while its impact on employment and the labour market more broadly, and in addressing societal inequalities will be limited. The national strategy, however, does not take into account the nature of capital accumulation and structural inequalities that stem from a large informal economy and surplus labour context with limited upskilling opportunities. This raises doubts about the effectiveness of the current policy.Research limitations/implicationsThe critical assessment of new technologies and work has two implications: first, it underscores the need for situated analyses of social and material relations of work in formulating and assessing strategies and policies; second, it highlights the necessity of qualitative workplace studies that examine the relationship between technology and the future of work.Practical implicationsThe article assesses an influential state policy in a key aspect of future of work–automation.Social implicationsThe policy assessed in this study would have significant social and economic outcomes for labour, work and employment in India. The study highlights the limitations of the state policy in addressing key labour market dimensions and work and employment relations in its formulation and implementation.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine the impact of automation on work and employment in India. It provides a critical intervention in current debates on future of work from the point of view of an important emerging economy defined by labour surplus and a large informal economy.

Work–Family Reconciliation Policy in France

Making Waves ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 73-84
Author(s):  
Jan Windebank
Keyword(s):  
Labour Force ◽  
Women's Employment ◽  
Women’S Employment ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
Domestic Labour ◽  
Work Family ◽  
Women's Role ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Reconciliation Policies

This chapter examines the history of French work-family reconciliation policies from the 1970s until the present day. It considers the extent to which the development of these policies does and does not link to second wave feminist ideas about women’s domestic labour that emerged in the 1970s. It argues that while in Scandinavian countries, for example, debates and policies addressing work-family reconciliation debates considered men’s roles in the home as well as women’s employment, in France men’s roles were not addressed. This has meant that while French women today are well integrated into the labour force, and have used a variety of resources available to them to free themselves from domestic and caring responsibilities, men’s role in the family has changed very little in comparison with women’s role in the workforce.

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