IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hal/wpaper/hal-01616579.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Future of work: The meaning and value of work in Europe

Author

Listed:
  • Dominique Méda

    (IRISSO - Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Sciences Sociales - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

This paper looks at the notion of work historically and how new meanings have enriched this notionover centuries. It then analyses the importance Europeans give to the concept of work, and presents theongoing discourse on technological revolution and its impact on work and employment. The paper thenexamines the future of work in the coming decades in the light of three broad scenarios, which arecompeting to present a mid-term view of the future of work. First, the consequences of a scenario called"dismantling the labour law" are considered. Second, the validity of the propositions announcing theend of work within the scope of automation and digitalization (scenario of the technological revolution)are examined. Finally, a third scenario, the "ecological conversion", which seems to be the mostcompatible with the need to combat the unbearable features of our present model of development andseems capable of satisfying the expectations placed on work is examined. It is this third scenario –"ecological conversion" – that seems best able to respond to the high expectations that Europeanscontinue to place on work while ensuring the continuation of our societies.

Suggested Citation

  • Dominique Méda, 2017. "The Future of work: The meaning and value of work in Europe," Working Papers hal-01616579, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-01616579
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-01616579
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://hal.science/hal-01616579/document
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Beaudry & David A. Green & Benjamin M. Sand, 2016. "The Great Reversal in the Demand for Skill and Cognitive Tasks," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 34(S1), pages 199-247.
    2. Georg Graetz & Guy Michaels, 2018. "Robots at Work," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 100(5), pages 753-768, December.
    3. Melanie Arntz & Terry Gregory & Ulrich Zierahn, 2016. "The Risk of Automation for Jobs in OECD Countries: A Comparative Analysis," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 189, OECD Publishing.
    4. David H. Autor & David Dorn, 2013. "The Growth of Low-Skill Service Jobs and the Polarization of the US Labor Market," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(5), pages 1553-1597, August.
    5. Robé Jean-Philippe, 2012. "Being Done With Milton Friedman," Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, De Gruyter, vol. 2(2), pages 1-33, June.
    6. Jean Gadrey & Florence Jany-Catrice, 2005. "Les nouveaux indicateurs de richesse," Post-Print halshs-00198357, HAL.
    7. Andrew Clark, 2005. "What Makes a Good Job? Evidence from OECD Countries," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Stephen Bazen & Claudio Lucifora & Wiemer Salverda (ed.), Job Quality and Employer Behaviour, chapter 1, pages 11-30, Palgrave Macmillan.
    8. Xiaojing Dong & Shelby H. McIntyre, 2014. "The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies," Quantitative Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(11), pages 1895-1896, November.
    9. Lipsey, Richard G. & Carlaw, Kenneth I. & Bekar, Clifford T., 2005. "Economic Transformations: General Purpose Technologies and Long-Term Economic Growth," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199290895.
    10. K. Praveen Parboteeah & John B. Cullen, 2003. "Social Institutions and Work Centrality: Explorations Beyond National Culture," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(2), pages 137-148, April.
    11. Nadine Levratto & Evelyne Serverin, 2011. "Become Independent! The Paradoxical Constraints of France’s Auto-Entrepreneur Regime," EconomiX Working Papers 2011-6, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    12. Seth G. Benzell & Laurence J. Kotlikoff & Guillermo LaGarda & Jeffrey D. Sachs, 2015. "Robots Are Us: Some Economics of Human Replacement," NBER Working Papers 20941, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Nadine Levratto & Evelyne Serverin, 2013. "Become independant! The paradoxical constraints of France's 'Auto-Entrepreneur' Regime," Post-Print hal-01385848, HAL.
    14. Seth G. Benzell & Laurence J. Kotlikoff & Guillermo LaGarda & Jeffrey D. Sachs, 2015. "Robots Are Us: Some Economics of Human Replacement," NBER Working Papers 20941, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Jacques Richard, 2012. "Comptabilité et développement durable," Post-Print hal-01651227, HAL.
    16. Georg Graetz & Guy Michaels, 2015. "Robots at work: the impact on productivity and jobs," CentrePiece - The magazine for economic performance 447, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    17. repec:bla:scandj:v:88:y:1986:i:1:p:141-49 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Krausmann, Fridolin & Gingrich, Simone & Eisenmenger, Nina & Erb, Karl-Heinz & Haberl, Helmut & Fischer-Kowalski, Marina, 2009. "Growth in global materials use, GDP and population during the 20th century," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(10), pages 2696-2705, August.
    19. repec:dau:papers:123456789/8224 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Moshe Sharabi & Oriana Abboud Armaly & Ola AbuHasan-Nabwani, 2022. "The Effect of Major Life Events on Individual's Work Centrality: Social and Economic Aspects," Review of European Studies, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(4), pages 1-46, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dominique MÉDA, 2019. "Three scenarios for the future of work," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 158(4), pages 627-652, December.
    2. Naude, Wim, 2019. "The race against the robots and the fallacy of the giant cheesecake: Immediate and imagined impacts of artificial intelligence," MERIT Working Papers 2019-005, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    3. Fierro, Luca Eduardo & Caiani, Alessandro & Russo, Alberto, 2022. "Automation, Job Polarisation, and Structural Change," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 499-535.
    4. Gasteiger, Emanuel & Prettner, Klaus, 2017. "A note on automation, stagnation, and the implications of a robot tax," Discussion Papers 2017/17, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    5. Abeliansky, Ana Lucia & Prettner, Klaus, 2017. "Automation and demographic change," VfS Annual Conference 2017 (Vienna): Alternative Structures for Money and Banking 168215, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    6. Gunther Tichy, 2016. "Geht der Arbeitsgesellschaft die Arbeit aus?," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 89(12), pages 853-871, December.
    7. Prettner, Klaus & Strulik, Holger, 2017. "The lost race against the machine: Automation, education and inequality in an R&D-based growth model," Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 08-2017, University of Hohenheim, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
    8. Jean-Philippe Deranty & Thomas Corbin, 2022. "Artificial Intelligence and work: a critical review of recent research from the social sciences," Papers 2204.00419, arXiv.org.
    9. ARAI Kosuke & FUJIWARA Ippei & SHIROTA Toyoichiro, 2021. "Robot Penetration and Task Changes," Discussion papers 21093, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    10. Gries, Thomas & Naudé, Wim, 2020. "Artificial Intelligence, Income Distribution and Economic Growth," IZA Discussion Papers 13606, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Lankisch, Clemens & Prettner, Klaus & Prskawetz, Alexia, 2019. "How can robots affect wage inequality?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 161-169.
    12. Naude, Wim & Nagler, Paula, 2015. "Industrialisation, Innovation, Inclusion," MERIT Working Papers 2015-043, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    13. Gregory, Terry & Salomons, Anna & Zierahn, Ulrich, 2016. "Racing With or Against the Machine? Evidence from Europe," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145843, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    14. Gregory Casey, 2018. "Technology-Driven Unemployment," 2018 Meeting Papers 302, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    15. Abeliansky, Ana & Algur, Eda & Bloom, David E. & Prettner, Klaus, 2020. "The Future of Work: Challenges for Job Creation Due to Global Demographic Change and Automation," IZA Discussion Papers 12962, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Gasteiger, Emanuel & Prettner, Klaus, 2017. "On the possibility of automation-induced stagnation," Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 07-2017, University of Hohenheim, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
    17. Jakub Growiec, 2019. "The Hardware–Software Model: A New Conceptual Framework of Production, R&D, and Growth with AI," Working Paper series 19-18, Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis.
    18. Maciej Cieślukowski & Przemysław Garsztka & Beata Zyznarska-Dworczak, 2022. "The Impact of Robotification on the Financial Situation of Microenterprises: Evidence from the Financial Services Sector in Poland," Risks, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, February.
    19. Gasteiger, Emanuel & Prettner, Klaus, 2022. "Automation, Stagnation, And The Implications Of A Robot Tax," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 26(1), pages 218-249, January.
    20. Genz, Sabrina & Schnabel, Claus, 2021. "Digging into the Digital Divide: Workers' Exposure to Digitalization and Its Consequences for Individual Employment," IZA Discussion Papers 14649, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    importance of work; Automation; digital revolution; ecological conversion; work; future of work;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-01616579. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: CCSD (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.