Trends in Labor and Digital Technologies:

A Study Across Five Sectors

Abstract

This article identifies three key trends in the relationship between labor and digital technologies: digitalization (or informationalization), platformization, and automation. The main research question it seeks to answer is: to what extent and in what ways do each of these three trends manifest themselves in occupations that differ in their level of digitalization? To this end, the study draws on the results of a survey completed by 558 workers in Argentina across five sectors: software and IT services, audiovisual production, distance education, delivery services, and domestic work. Among the most relevant findings are the cross-sectoral penetration of digitalization, the blurring of boundaries between leisure time and work, the lower hourly pay of platform-based workers compared to other workers, and the perception that the benefits of automation will be captured by platform companies, while workers will be the main group negatively affected by this trend.