A meta-analysis of the effects of the ITC on the level of employment and work roles: Comments and future directions

Abstract

Similarly to what happened with the steam engine, the electricity or the combustion engine, the new general-purpose technologies and ICTs have introduced many fundamental changes to our life and the processes we deal with daily. They have provided many benefits but have also produced unwanted collateral effects that should be considered. The first effect, at the beginning there was a new phenomenon known as the digital divide. Later on the uncertainty around the true scope of computing increased and evidence of a decrease in the capability of creating new jobs and stagnant or falling wages became clearer. All these, amongst other things, are considered part of the ICT revolution. The paradigm of continuous improvement to innovation and productivity begins to show the effects it produces in the disappearance and transformation of business roles. Many activities have disappeared and much of the business processes have received a very high degree of automation. These changes can be seen in the most varied fields.