Image: ©Shutterstok / Humphery

News - 6 September 2018 10:18

New tasks in old jobs: Manufacturing in Europe increasingly driven by automation

The importance of physical tasks in manufacturing is generally declining due to automation; with more intensive use of digitally controlled equipment, and the increasing importance of quality standards, resulting in a growing amount of intellectual tasks for manual industrial workers.

The New tasks in old jobs: Driver of change and implications for job quality publication from the Future of Manufacturing in Europe (FOME) project summarises 20 case studies in five manufacturing areas (car assemblers, meat processing workers, hand-packers, chemical products plant and machine operators, and inspection engineers) in Germany, Italy, Sweden and the UK.

The report brings a contextualised and detailed analysis of recent changes in the task content and nature of these occupations due to factors such as technology, market changes, policy and regulation. It also discusses the implications of these changes for task profiles, job quality and industrial relations.

Each sector studied in the research is influenced by digitalisation and automation to varying degrees depending on the specific circumstances within their respective industries, but what is clear across sectors is that manufacturing in Europe is undergoing fundamental change with increasing implications for quality of work, employment quality, workplace risks, work-life balance, industrial relations and wages.

Download the report: New tasks in old jobs: Driver of change and implications for job quality
Find out more on the future of manufacturing: FOME project

Topics

Contacts

James Higgins

Press contact Communication Officer jhi@eurofound.europa.eu +353-1-204-3100

Måns Mårtensson

Press contact Media & Promotion Manager Media relations, marketing and promotion mma@eurofound.europa.eu +353-1-204 3124

Disruption on the horizon: Game changing technologies in manufacturing in Europe

The new report Game changing technologies: Exploring the impact on production processes and work summarises the findings of five case studies on the likely impact of game changing technologies on production and employment in the manufacturing sector in Europe up to 2025.

9 February 2018 09:00

The Future of Manufacturing in Europe

The pilot project on the Future of Manufacturing in Europe was launched in 2015 to explore the prospects for a globally competitive future in manufacturing and the associated implications for employment in terms of the number of jobs, workforce composition, skill needs and geographical dispersion throughout Europe.

25 October 2018 13:28

Publication alert: Impact of restructuring on working conditions

Restructuring is a common feature of labour markets and work organisation. While much research in this area primarily concentrates on the implications for those that lose their jobs, the latest report on restructuring from Eurofound focuses on the impacts for those that remain in an organisation.

12 February 2019 06:00

Implementation of Paris Climate Agreement could boost EU GDP by 1.1%

The successful transition towards a low-carbon economy, as defined by the Paris Climate Agreement, is projected to result in a 1.1% growth in GDP, and a 0.5% growth in employment, in the EU between now and 2030. This is compared to a ‘business as usual’ baseline forecast.

1 November 2018 11:00

Are apprenticeships keeping up with changes in manufacturing?

Apprenticeships are long established in manufacturing and are attractive for both employers and young people because of the balance between theoretical and practical education that they offer. However, in several countries in Europe and beyond, apprenticeships are lagging behind changes in manufacturing.

8 June 2018 09:00

Three vectors transforming work in the digital revolution

Digital technologies are transforming work, but the implications have not yet been fully grasped. In a recent Eurofound report, we focus on three main vectors of change to discuss the effects of digital technologies on work and employment and the policy responses such change demands.

26 October 2017 15:45

New-generation cars boost manufacturing employment

Manufacturing is on the up in Europe. The latest data shows that, for the first time since 2005, the number of new manufacturing jobs announced in national media outstripped the number of announced job losses. In this blog piece Andrea Broughton and John Hurley take a closer look at the resurgence of the sector.

16 November 2018 15:33

Are blue-collar jobs turning white?

Manual jobs in European manufacturing are being transformed as blue-collar workers take on more intellectual tasks. This is a consequence of the increasing use of digital tools and the growing importance of quality control in production.