Impact of Digital Technology

Why is IT a growth area?

• Emerging areas such as cybersecurity and AI

• Extremely good pay schemes

• Ability to travel/ work either in office or home

What is job displacement?

When an employee is removed from their job and replaced

Causes of job displacement

• Manual work is now done by computer-controlled machines

• Repetitive jobs can be carried out by robots

• Office jobs require more skill using generic software

What is reskilling?

retraining to acquire skills needed to access the new roles

What is teleworking?

Using IT and telecommunications to work from home

Examples of teleworking

• Web developers

• Graphic designers

• Accountants

Advantages to an employee

1. Allows working from anywhere

2. Work at your own pace with flexible hours

3. Fewer cars on the road and less pollution

4. Saving money on transport to and from work

Disadvantages to an employee

1. Feeling isolated from lack of communication and teamwork

2. Need an office at home, adding expenses

3. Distracting environment

4. Less motivation to work

Advantages to an employer

1. Do not need to rent offices or pay maintenance

2. Employ a global workforce with cheaper labour

3. No need to hire staff like cleaners/ security

4. Less benefits (parking) and reduced conflict

Disadvantages to an employer

1. More difficult to monitor employee activity

2. Potential for leaked information and security risks

3. More discipline towards employees

4. Less collaboration between employees

What is upskilling?

continuous training to carry out jobs and learn new skills

Downside of upskilling

employers need to offer training courses to improve retention levels