INCISIVE · Occupation Insecurity: Conceptualization, Scale Development, and International Application and Validation

Occupation Insecurity: Conceptualization, Scale Development, and International Application and Validation

The arrival of advanced technologies, including ChatGPT, has sparked concerns about the future of occupations. While some experts believe that automation will create new job opportunities and boost productivity, others warn of potential displacement and increased income inequality. To address these concerns, it is essential to steer digitization in a direction that benefits society. It is also important to take people's fears about the future of their occupations seriously to be able to adequately address them. The Marie Curie project, INCISIVE, sought to explore these fears in greater detail and defined the concept of "occupation insecurity". Based on results obtained from the project, occupation insecurity is defined as people's fears about the future of their occupations due to technological advancements. It is crucial to distinguish between a job and an occupation. If someone loses their job, they can still apply at a different organization. However, if the occupation as a whole significantly changes or disappears, the person may need to reskill or upskill in order to stay relevant in the job market. This highlights the higher stakes involved with occupation insecurity. Specifically, the objectives of INCISIVE were: • To develop a clear definition of occupation insecurity as a concept • To develop a scale to measure occupation insecurity in English • To translate into and validate the scale across additional languages Developing a tool to measure occupation insecurity was crucial, as until then no such tool was available. Having this tool is a crucial first step in examining the prevalence of occupation insecurity, what consequences it has for employees and organizations, and hopefully impacting policy making in the future. One of the key findings of the project is that occupation insecurity can be divided into two sub-dimensions: global and content occupation insecurity. Global occupation insecurity refers to ‘people’s fear of their whole occupation disappearing’, while content occupation insecurity addresses ‘people’s worry that their tasks and responsibilities may be significantly changing’, even if their occupation as a whole is not under threat. To measure occupation insecurity, the project developed the Occupation Insecurity Scale (OCIS), a tool consisting of 11 items covering both global and content occupation insecurity (available on www.occupationinsecurity.com). The scale has been empirically validated and is now available in multiple languages for researchers and practitioners to use in future studies. In order to address occupation insecurity, governments can take steps such as promoting educational programs in fields that are less likely to be automated and offering job placement services to help workers transition to new careers. In addition, organizations can play an important role by investing in their employees and providing opportunities for training and skill development. For individuals, maintaining a growth mindset and prioritizing the continuous updating of skills is crucial. By working together and implementing these strategies, we can create a more secure future for workers and ensure that the benefits of technological advancement are shared widely.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз