Dilemmas of digital labour

Abstract

Digital labour raises many questions, including how to measure quality, efficiency and cost, but also regarding people, ranging from skills and labour costs to salaries and unionisation. This paper aims to highlight some pertinent threads and arguments about technological disruptions to workforce automation and robotisation. By looking at different postures presented, especially in policy and literature, it aims to break down some of the most egregious speculations related to robotisation and automation and distil more specifically what kind of new needs are emerging, rather than perceiving these developments as existential threats.