New book
Futuros do Emprego na
Sociedade da Informação
(Futures of
Employment in Information Society)
IS-Emp II study on "Development of employment in the Information
Society"
António Brandão Moniz (co-ordination), Ilona Kovács, Sónia Barroso
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Abstract |
In this book are presented the instruments that can anticipate
the influence of the information society on employment, the working conditions
and the vocational training. These instruments will be able to allow, once
applied, the development of adequate policies that prevent or neutralize the
negative effect of this relation. But it is always necessary simultaneously to
harness the positive effects that the relation of the information society can
have on employment in a perspective of improvement of the quality of working
life. Thus, the present study identifies the existence of consensuses that allow
to strengthen the capacity of elaboration of sectoral policies in the domain of
the work and employment in the context of the Information Society. Still it made
possible the deepening of the information to the social partners and the
scientific and technological communities concerning the great questions in
debate. Finally, a system of recommendations is presented that can contribute
for the reorientation of the related sectoral policies for the Information
Society.
The prospective analysis on the basis of the Delphi methodology - although very
still not to be divulged in Portugal - allows the establishment of (or the
support to) strategical policies that integrate the envolvement of the social
actors and processes of construction of long term period visions. Thus, the
articulation of themes like "information and knowledge society" and
"employment" allows to understand a set of central challenges that are
placed to the modern societies, and over all Portugal, when the emergency of the
information society has found decisive political, economic and social supports.
The so-called "2000 Lisbon Strategy" allows to perceive what it is at
stake at the level of the European Union.
The occurrence forecast of the scenarios that 60 experts who compose the panel
consider important and that have strong knowledge varies consonant the thematic
one. At medium and long run (up to 2015) will occur scenario subjects related
with the interface technologies. In the distant future (> 2015) will occur,
possibly, scenarios that happen on subjects related with the institutional
framework and employment. According to experts that withhold a great knowledge
of these subjects, the national and international cooperation is basic for the
occurrence of scenarios related with training. However, the international
cooperation will be still necessary at the level of other subjects on employment,
the labour market polarization and the new forms of work organization.
Four possible scenarios had been presented that depend on the strategy of the
social actors: Scenario 1 - Competitiveness by precarity generates social
dualization; Scenario 2 - Quality by organization and qualification: the
Information Society for all; Scenario 3 - Blocking uncertainties I (occupational
segmentation); Scenario 4 - Blocking uncertainties II (technological promotion).
On the sequence of these scenarios it is not possible to opt for recommendations
that only guide the political decision in the direction of only one of them. We
can always find mixing situations with elements of different scenarios. Most
probably the reality will disclose to these situations having in consideration
the challenges that can be placed in each one of them. It was necessary to
clarify recommendations with the aim of trying to prevent the negative
implications for employment and the sustainable development in the information
society.