Decomposing the effects of digitalization on workers' job satisfaction

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Economics
• Labor Studies

Background:

• Digitalization's impact on job satisfaction is multifaceted.
• Understanding the specific channels and their relative importance is crucial for workforce well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relative importance of ten channels through which digitalization affects job satisfaction.
• To analyze the heterogeneous effects of digitalization on job satisfaction across different worker demographics.

Main Methods:

• Case study of part-time students and graduates from Swiss professional education and training colleges.
• Quantitative analysis of ten distinct digitalization impact channels on job satisfaction.

Main Results:

• Digitalization has a positive average effect on job satisfaction, driven by increased productivity and more interesting work.
• Productivity gains benefit women, older workers, non-executives, and those in non-tech fields.
• Interesting work benefits men and older workers.
• Negative impacts include increased time pressure and worsened work-life balance, particularly for men, older workers, and those in tech fields.

Conclusions:

• Digitalization's net effect on job satisfaction is positive but varies significantly across demographics and impact channels.
• Interventions should focus on maximizing productivity and work interestingness while mitigating time pressure and work-life balance issues.