| The world of work is undergoing a profound transformation as digitalisation and flexible working – either from home or from different locations – become increasingly prevalent. New applications such as artificial intelligence are significantly changing the way we work. At ZEW, our researchers in the “Digital Economy” and “Labour Markets and Social Insurance” units are investigating the economic impact of these changes and their consequences for both companies and individuals. By sharing their findings, they provide valuable support to policymakers and offer guidance on successfully navigating the digital transformation. The ZEW Monthly May 2023 offers current insights, with a focus on “Digital Workplaces”.
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
| | | | RESEARCH ON DIGITAL WORKPLACES | |
| |
| |
↗ DIGITALISATION DOES NOT NECESSARILY REDUCE TRAFFIC
|
| The boost in digitalisation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked hope that the rising prevalence of working from home and online services could lead to a long-lasting reduction in traffic volume. As a result, the German coalition committee decided on 28 March 2023, among other things, to promote working-from-home arrangements in order to reduce commuting. As a current ZEW study shows, mobility decreased indeed more sharply in German districts where companies’ digitalisation level was higher during the first two years of the pandemic. However, ever since the government-imposed work-from-home obligation and other COVID-19-related measures ended in March 2022, a link between digitalisation and decreased mobility is no longer detectable. The study utilises data on companies’ degree of digitalisation as well as mobile network data at the district level in the period from January 2020 to December 2022.
|
| More about the ZEW study
|
|
↗ “RAT DER ARBEITSWELT” EXPERT COUNCIL RELEASES WORLD OF WORK REPORT
|
| The “Rat der Arbeitswelt” Council presented its World of Work Report 2023. The deputy head of the Research Unit “Labour Markets and Social Insurance” at ZEW Mannheim, Professor Melanie Arntz, is a member of the independent council of experts. In its second large report about the future of the workplace in Germany, the Council focused in on ecological and digital transformations. Coping with these transformations in light of demographic change will call for joint efforts by all players in the labour market.
|
| More about the World of Work Report 2023
|
|
↗ HUMAN OVERSIGHT OF AI DONE RIGHT
|
| The AI Act is a proposed European law on artificial intelligence (AI). It is the world’s first law on AI from a major regulator. It aims to ensure safe AI systems for high-risk applications, such as CV scanning or medical decision-making. The law relies on human supervision of AI to do this, yet mounting evidence indicates that such oversight is not always reliable. A newly published ZEW policy brief considers the advantages and disadvantages of human supervision and offers possible solutions.
|
| More about the ZEW policy brief
|
|
| |
|
| |
 |
|
| | |
| | ↗ PERCEPTION OF PRODUCTIVITY INFLUENCES PREVALENCE OF WORK-FROM-HOME OFFERS
|
| As demonstrated in a recently published study from ZEW Mannheim, managers’ positive perceptions regarding work-from-home productivity increase the long-term availability of such offers. Firms which associate working from home with positive productivity outcomes plan to offer more work-from-home arrangements than firms with a more sceptical attitude. The results come from a survey of 800 firms in the information economy between 2020 and 2022.
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| | | | CURRENT ZEW RESEARCH | |
| |
| |
↗ ONE IN TEN COMPANIES INVESTED IN 4.0 TECHNOLOGIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
|
| Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only one in ten companies made additional investments in so-called 4.0 technologies, i.e. computer-based intelligent technologies such as cloud computing systems, when purchasing office and communication equipment. This is shown by the first analyses of the new “Arbeitswelt 4.0” company survey conducted jointly by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), ZEW Mannheim and the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), published on Thursday.
|
| More about the ZEW study
|
|
↗ THE GERMAN INNOVATION SYSTEM IS SUFFERING FROM LONG COVID
|
| In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the German economy unexpectedly and led to a deep recession. Previous crises have shown that most firms tend to spend less money on innovation in times of recession. This was also the case during the COVID-19 pandemic: firms that were severely affected by the pandemic reduced their innovation spending considerably, not only in the short but also in the long run. This is shown by a ZEW study based on data from the Mannheim Innovation Panel (MIP) for the years 2019 to 2022.
|
| More about the ZEW study
|
|
↗ CRISIS IN THE BANKING SECTOR HAS ONLY SHORT-TERM, MODERATE EFFECTS
|
| Financial market experts estimate the effects of the recent tensions in the banking sector as moderate and only noticeable in the short term. Overall, they expect slightly negative effects on a six-month horizon and no effects on a two-year horizon for Germany, the eurozone, and the USA. These are the results of the special question included in the ZEW Financial Market Survey in April 2023. A total of 172 financial market experts were asked by researchers at ZEW Mannheim about the short- and long-term effects of the current crisis in the banking sector.
|
| More about the ZEW study
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| | |
Even the German chancellor is not exempt from losing track of the complex details of the gas price cap. Recently, Olaf Scholz mistakenly concluded from the regulations, in effect since March, that households “do not have to pay more than twelve cents per kilowatt hour.” But that is not correct. The cap actually entails households receiving a payment based on 80 per cent of the previous year’s heating gas consumption multiplied by the customer’s current gas price minus twelve cents, irrespective of current consumption. Every kilowatt hour consumed today must be paid according to the current tariff.
|
| Read the full opinion piece
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| | |
| | | INFLATION HAS PASSED ITS PEAK
|
| The environment for the ECB’s monetary policy has changed radically. In the last two years, inflation in Germany and the euro area has reached its highest level since the introduction of the euro. This high monetary devaluation is leading to economic and social upheavals. Professor Isabel Schnabel, Member of the ECB’s Executive Board, explained on 19 April 2023 at ZEW Mannheim in the context of the event series “First-Hand Information on Economic Policy” whether vehement interest rate hikes are the right way to reduce inflation and where the possibilities as well as limits of monetary policy lie for central banks.
|
| Read the full report
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| | | 30 YEARS OF THE EU SINGLE MARKET – A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION?
|
| The European Single Market, one of the European Union’s greatest achievements, commenced on 1 January 1993 – a significant milestone that gives us reason to rejoice, but also prompts us to take a critical look into the future. On 15 May 2023, as part of the event series “First-Hand Information on Economic Policy” at ZEW in Mannheim, Professor Martin Kocher, Austrian Federal Minister of Labour and Economy, discussed the current economic state of the EU and specifically Austria, along with associated opportunities and risks. He emphasised that Europe possesses tremendous potential if it focuses on its strengths. However, he cautioned that countering dependencies necessitates greater diversification rather than pursuing deglobalisation.
|
| Read the full report
|
|
| |
|
| |
| | | | → CONTACT FOR QUESTIONS OR SUGGESTIONS ON THE CONTENT | |
| |
| |
| |
| | | ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research
L7, 1 · 68161 Mannheim
Phone: +49 (0)0621/1235-01
E-mail: zewmonthly@zew.de
Website: www.zew.de
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| | | Executive Directors:
Professor Achim Wambach, PhD; Thomas Kohl
Chair of the ZEW Supervisory Board:
Ministerial Director Dr. Hans Reiter
Registered Office: Mannheim
Local Court Mannheim HRB 6554
USt-IdNr.: DE188318292
Commitment to Data Protection
Detailed Legal Note
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
