The impact of digitalization on employmentproductivity and the role of Social Protection: Socio-economic costs andlegal options


SCAD No 33
Published: Apr 20, 2024
Updated: 2024-04-20
Versions:
2024-04-20 (2)
Keywords:
Digitalization, employment, productivity, social security, social protection, costs, legal options
Anna Tsetoura
Abstract

The paper begins with a description of digitalization
of work. The negative effects are
the first to be examined and subsequently the
positive effects are presented. Five outcomes
with double effects (a negative and a positive
one) arise from the analysis of digitalization
on employment and productivity. Further, the
implications of digital work on social security
are illustrated, as well as the legal lacunae at
a national, European and international level.
Lastly, we conclude to suggestions which
could counterbalance the negative effects and
enhance the positive ones utilizing techniques
from the European legal order.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Articles
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Author Biography
Anna Tsetoura, Hellenic Open University

Anna Tsetoura is a Lawyer, PhD, LLM, BA and a member of the Hellenic Open University Associate
Teaching Staff. She has taught at Greek Universities and at the National School of Judges on
European Social Security Law, Social Insurance and Social Institutions, Retirement and Pension
Systems, Health Care, Civil Society, Social Policy Financing. She has also participated in national
and European research programs on improving social protection as well as teaching social security
courses.

References
Anxo D., Mencarini L., Pailhé A., Solaz A., Tanturri M.L. and Flood L. (2011), Gender Differences in Time Use over the Life Course in France, Italy, Sweden, and the US, Feminist Economics. 17:3, 2: 159-195. Epub ahead of print12 July 2011. p//dx.doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2011.582822.
Bachmann C.J., Beecham J., O’Connor T.G., Scott A., Briskman J. and Scott S. (2019), The cost of love: financial consequences of insecure attachment in antisocial youth, The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 60:12:1343-1350, DOI:10.1111/jcpp.13103.
Behrendt C. and Anh Nguyen Q. (2018a), Innovative approaches for ensuring universal social protection for the future of work, paper has been developed as a background paper to an issue brief for the Global Commission on the Future of Work, ILO. Available at https://
www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/--- dgreports/-- cabinet/documents/publication/ wcms_629864.pdf.
Behrendt C, Anh Nguyen Q and Rani U (2019) Social protection systems and the future of
work: Ensuring social security for digital platform workers, ISSA Review, First published:10
September 2019. Available at https://doi.org/10.1111/issr.12212.
Benedetto S., Drai-Zerbib V., Pedrotti M., Tissier G. and Baccino T., Paterson K. (eds), E-Readers
and Visual Fatigue, PLoS One. 8(12), e83676, published online 2013 Dec 27. Available at
Berg J., Furrer M., Harmon E., Rani U., Silberman M.S. (2018), Digital labour platforms and
the future of work – Towards decent work for all, ILO Geneva. Available at https://www.
ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/
wcms_645337.pdf.
Cherry M. and Aloisi A. (2017), ‘Dependent Contractors’ in the Gig Economy: A Comparative
Approach, American University Law Review. 66(3): 635-689 http://digital-commons.wcl.
american.edu/aulr/vol66/iss3/1.
Chesalina O. (2018), Access to social security for digital platform workers in Germany and
in Russia: a comparative study, Spanish Labour Law and Employment Relations Journal.
-2(7), noviembre: 7-28 DOI: https://doi.org/10.20318/sllerj.2018.4433.
Craig J.P., Nichols K.K., Akpek E.K., Caffery B., Dua H.S., Joo C.-K. , Liu Z., Nelson J.D., Jason
J. Nichols, Tsubota K., Stapleton F. (2017), TFOS DEWS II Definition and Classification
Report. The Ocular Surface. 15(3): 276-283. Epub 2017 July 20. doi: 10.1016/j.
jtos.2017.05.008.
Davidov G. (2017), The status of Uber Drivers. A Purposive Approach, Spanish Labour and
Employment Relations Journal. 6(1-2), noviembre: 6-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20318/
sllerj.2017.3921.
Degryse C. (2016), Digitalisation of the economy and its impact on labour markets, Brussels,
European Trade Union Institute. Available at https://www.etui.org/Publications2/Working-
Papers/Digitalisation-of-the-economy-and-its-impact-on-labour-markets.
De Stefano V. (2016), The rise of the “just-in-time workforce”: On-demand work, crowdwork
and labour protection in the “gig-economy”, Conditions of Work and Employment Series
--protrav/---travail/documents/publication/wcms_443267.pdf.
Eichhorst W. and Rinne U. (2017), Digital Challenges for the Welfare State IZA Institut of Labor
Economics. Policy Paper No. 134, November. Available at www.iza.org.
Eichhorst W., Hinte H., Rinne U. and Tobsch V. (2016), How Big is the Gig? Assessing the
Preliminary Evidence on the Effects of Digitalization on the Labor Market, IZA Policy paper
No. 117, October. Available at http://ftp.iza.org/pp117.pdf.
Enzo W. (2018), Setting out for social security, Research Department Working Paper No. 34,
inst/documents/publication/wcms_645871.pdf.
Eurofound (2017), Non-standard forms of employment: Recent trends and future prospects
/non-standard-forms-of-employment-recent-trends-and-future-prospects.
Fouarge D. (2003), Costs of Non-Social Policy: Towards an economic framework of quality social
policies - And the costs of not having them, Report for the Employment and Social Affairs
DG, European Commission. Available at http://www.temaasyl.se/Documents/EU-dokument/
Kommisionsdokument/Cost%20Of%20Non%20Social%20Policy.pdf.
Frey C.B. and Osborne M.A. (2013), The Future of Employment: How Susceptible are Jobs to
Computerisation?, University of Oxford. Available at http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/
downloads/ academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf.
Guo O.D. L.W. and Akpek E. (2020), The negative effects of dry eye disease on quality of life
and visual function, Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences. Nov 3;50(SI-2):1611- 1615. doi:
3906/sag-2002-143.
ILO (2017) and Gallup: Towards a better future for women and work: Voices of women and
documents/publica tion/wcms_546256.pdf.
International Social Security Association (ISSA) (2016) Ten global challenges for social Security.
Available at www.issa.int/10.
ILO (2017b) Synthesis Report of the National Dialogues on the Future of Work, Geneva.
publication/wcms_591505.pdf.
ILO (2017c), Inception Report for the Global Commission on the Future of Work Geneva.
Available at ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---cabinet/documents/publication/
wcms_591502.pdf.
Nichols K.K., Bacharach J., Holland E., Kislan T., Shettle L., Lunacsek O., Lennert B., Burk C. and
Patel V. (2017), Impact of dry eye disease on work productivity, and patients’ satisfaction
with oOver-the-counter dry eye treatments. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
(7): 2975-2982. doi: 10.1167/iovs.16-19419.
OECD (2018), The future of social protection: What works for non-standard workers, OECD
-en.htm.
OECD (2019) Employment Outlook, The future of work, Highlights. Available at oecd.org/
employment/Employment-Outlook-2019-Highlight-EN.pdf.
Rani U. and Furrer M. (2019), “On-demand digital economy: Can experience ensure work and
income security for microtask workers?”, Journal of Economics and Statistics. De Gruyter
(3): 565-597 DOI: 10.1515/jbnst-2018-0019.
Reynolds BW/flexjobs (2017), Annual Survey Finds Workers Are More Productive at Home, And
hiring/.
Rosenfield M. (2016), Computer vision syndrome (a.k.a. digital eye strain), The College of
Optometrists January. Available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295902618_
Computer_vision_syndrome_aka_digital_eye_strain.
Stergiou A. (2014), Social security law, Sakkoulas publications, 2nd edition, Athens-Thessaloniki.
Tsetoura A. (2014), The new provisions of Regulation 883/2004, (Greek) Social Security Review:
-127.
Tsetoura A. (2017), The European Pensioner, PhD thesis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,
Greece.
Tsetoura A. (2015), Social security circumvention as obstacle to social justice: the correlation
with labour status and whistle-blowing. Social Cohesion and Development. 10(1): 29-44
Yamada M., Mizuno Y., Shigeyasu C. (2012), Impact of dry eye on work productivity,
Clinicoeconomics Outcomes Research. 4: 307-312. Epub 2012 Oct 10. DOI:10.2147/CEOR.
S36352.
Most read articles by the same author(s)