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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous high-income countries encountered heightened vacancy rates and labour shortages, which persisted into 2023. This paper examines the dynamics underlying labour market fluctuations in advanced economies, such as cyclical movements, structural shifts and pandemic-induced trends. The surge in labour demand following economic reopening varied across sectors, as sustained fiscal support measures bolstered demand, contributing to a pronounced uptick in vacancies. Statistics on labour force participation and working hours highlight the intricacies of the supply side of the labour market. However, long-term projections reveal challenges stemming from population ageing, which were exacerbated by pandemic-induced retirements and gender disparities in employment. Shifts in migration patterns further shaped labour dynamics, with sectors such as healthcare, education, and information and communications technology grappling with skills shortages. Geographical mismatch and decreased labour mobility underscored the limitations in reallocating workers across regions. This analysis stresses the multifaceted nature of labour market challenges following the pandemic, urging policymakers to adopt nuanced strategies to address persistent labour shortages and structural transformations in advanced economies. This work is the result of background research in preparation of the ILO research department’s 2024 WESO Trends report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between mobile internet, employment and structural transformation in Rwanda. Thanks to its ability to enable access to a wide range of ICT technologies, internet coverage has the potential to affect the dynamics and the composition of employment significantly. To demonstrate this, we have combined GSMA network coverage maps with individual-level information from national population censuses and labour force surveys, creating a district-level dataset of Rwanda that covers the period 2002 to 2019. Our results show that an increase in mobile internet coverage affects the labour market in two ways. First, by increasing employment opportunities. Second, by contributing to changes in the composition of the labour market. Education, migration and shifts in demand are all instrumental in explaining our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and expansion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has had far-reaching consequences for governance and the world of work, including how labour administrations and inspectorates manage and deliver services. Labour inspection is an essential part of labour administration and ensures the enforcement of worker's rights and compliance with relevant legal obligations. As such, labour inspection is one of the many different pathways available for reducing informality through inspectorates' mandated information sharing and sanctioning activities. An increasing number of governments around the world are interested in exploring, promoting and unlocking the full potential of new technologies to facilitate the transition from the informal to the formal economy. Research and evidence on effective strategies, programs, and practical applications of ICTs in this area to date is limited and policymakers stand to benefit from a greater understanding of what works in addressing informality through technology. In this working paper, we broadly explore the relationship and intersection between labour inspection, technology, and formalization and provide a detailed case study of Apprise, an innovative mobile solution that was developed to assist inspectors and other frontline responders in their preliminary screening of workers for indicators of labour violations and exploitation. Although additional impact evaluation studies are necessary, the study concludes that technology-enhanced labour inspection shows promise as a central component of integrated strategies targeting reductions in informality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term 'cyberbulling' has been used to describe aggressive conducts carried out through information and communication technologies (ICT), and can involve picture/video clips, emails, or social network sites, among others. Cyberbullying in the world of work is a relatively recent and unexplored phenomenon, despite the pervasive use of ICT in today's work environments and arrangements. The paper seeks to start filling this void, also in response to the newly adopted ILO Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190), and accompanying Recommendation (No. 206), that include in their scope violence and harassment occurring also "through work-related communications, including those enabled by information and communication technologies". This paper examines legal sources around cyberbullying in the world of work; reviews measures adopted across countries to counter bullying and discusses how they could be used to also address cyberbullying. It concludes with preliminary suggestions on possible ways to counter cyberbullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a taxonomy of sectors according to the extent to which they have gone digital. The taxonomy accounts for some of the key facets of the digital transformation, and recognises that sectors differ in their development and adoption of the most advanced "digital" technologies, in the human capital needed to embed them in production and in the extent to which digital tools are used to deal with clients and suppliers. The indicators used to classify 36 ISIC revision 4 sectors over the period 2001- 15 are: share of ICT tangible and intangible (i.e. software) investment; share of purchases of intermediate ICT goods and services; stock of robots per hundreds of employees; share of ICT specialists in total employment; and the share of turnover from online sales. Some sectors (e.g. telecom and IT services) are positioned consistently at the top of the distribution of sectors, independently of the indicator used, while others are positioned in the bottom quartile of digital intensity across all available indicators (e.g. agriculture, mining and real estate). This is true for the classification of sectors based on both 2001- 03 and 2013-15 data. Sectors positioned in the middle, instead, differ across indicators, suggesting that they are engaged in the digital transformation at different rates, depending on the dimensions considered. The study further proposes an overall summary indicator of the digital transformation in sectors which encompasses all the considered dimensions. Preliminary results suggest that this summary indicator performs reasonably well in approximating sectors' intensities in the different dimensions of the digital transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of OECD Science, Technology & Industry Working Papers is the property of Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Semiconductors are a critical input into a wide range of downstream industries, including the wider information communications technology (ICT) industry, electronics, and motor vehicles. Semiconductor shortages can have large adverse effects on output in these industries, with ripple effects on the broader economy, as highlighted by recent supply chain disruptions. This paper maps cross-country and cross-sectoral dependencies in the semiconductor value chain based on new OECD Inter-Country Input-Output data that allow to analyse the semiconductor industry separately from the wider ICT value chain. It further discusses policy options to reduce the economic consequences of shocks to the semiconductor value chain while preserving the benefits of global sourcing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposes a definition of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) based on the technology classes of the International Patent Classification (IPC) in which patents are classified. This new taxonomy, called the "J tag", aligns with the definitions of the ICT sector (2007) and of ICT products (2008) put forward by the OECD, and stems from the in-depth knowledge of Japan Patent Office experts, as well of experts from the Intellectual Property (IP) Offices participating in the OECD-led IP Task Force. Expert judgment of patent class content, relevance for ICT-related products, completeness and accuracy are the principles guiding the inclusion of IPC classes in the "J tag" taxonomy. ICT technologies are subdivided into 13 areas defined with respect to the specific technical features and functions they are supposed to accomplish (e.g. mobile communication), and details provided about the ways in which technologies relate to ICT products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a companion to our recent paper, "ICT Prices and ICT Services: What do they tell us about Productivity and Technology?" It provides the sources and methods used to construct national accounts-style price deators for the major components of ICT investment--communications equipment, computer equipment, and software--that were presented and analyzed in that paper. The ICT equipment measures described herein were also used in Byrne, Fernald, and Reinsdorf (2016). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reassesses the link between ICT prices, technology, and productivity. To understand how the ICT sector could come to the rescue of a whole economy, we introduce a simple model that sets out the steady-state contribution of the sector to the growth in U.S. labor productivity. The model extends Oulton (2012) to include ICT services (e.g., cloud computing) which has implications for the relationship between prices for ICT services and prices for the capital stocks (i.e., ICT assets) used to supply them. ICT asset prices are then put under a microscope, and official prices are found to substantially understate ICT price declines. And because ICT use continues to diffuse through the economy--increasingly via cloud and related services which are not fully accounted for in the standard narrative on ICT's contribution to economic growth--the contribution of ICT to growth in output per hour going forward is calibrated to be substantially larger than thought in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A list of graduate research papers, Master's Theses, and Doctoral Dissertations authored by students of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) and sponsored by the U.S. Air Force Space Command as of fiscal year (FY) 2013 is presented, such as "The Future of Mobile Information and Communication Technology in Austere Environments: A Command and Control Technology Integration Perspective," by James W. Harker and "Cyberspace Integration with the Air Operations Center," by Bradley A. Rueter.

The following paper assesses whether current policy environments are appropriate for the emergence of cloud computing technology. In particular, this research uses firm level data for Germany and the United Kingdom to examine the impact of capital incentive programmes (a common policy present in most OECD countries) on cloud adoption. The design for many of these policies target investments in physical capital while excluding digital services like the cloud. Firms view digital investments and digital services as substitutes, therefore narrowly defined incentive programmes may actually discourage the use of emerging tools like cloud computing, which are found to enable the growth and performance of young entrants. Overall, the results find that while capital incentive policies encourage firm investments in ICT and other forms of capital, they actually reduce the probability of cloud adoption. Policy makers may therefore need to reconsider the design of capital incentive programmes within their jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines productivity variations among firms of different sizes, noting that large firms generally benefit from economies of scale while smaller firms often leverage technology and innovation to boost productivity. Topics discussed include the impact of firm size on productivity, the role of information and communication technologies (ICT), and differences in productivity between sectors like manufacturing and business services.

The invention of new applications based on information and communications technologies (ICTs) has had two economic effects up to now. These applications have transformed production, creating value for applications-inventing companies and their customers and increasing economic growth through quality improvements. The same applications have shifted the relative demand for different kinds of labor, raising the demand for already highly compensated managers and professionals relative to other workers. This paper considers the likely impact of new ICT technologies coming into application in the workplace today in light of the economic and technical forces behind ICT application up to now. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the preliminary results of a 2020/2021 research project about open schooling, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and outdoor learning in Europe and the role of school libraries in implementation and development of Open Education Resources (OER). School librarians support learners who have been unable to access schooling, but also the learners who are in school, but are not learning effectively. School librarians as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and educational experts have all important skills to support teachers and students in development and using an OER. Innovative distance learning needs to be established for monitoring, evaluation, quality assurance, and continuous improvement. The SDGs could be achieved only if local communities ensure open access to education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of OECD Science, Technology & Industry Working Papers is the property of Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper will explore the ways one school library can be positioned to effectively support and extend the general capabilities section of the new Australian Curriculum. In particular, the general capabilities of: Literacy, ICT, Critical and creative thinking, Personal and social capability, Ethical behaviour and Intercultural understanding. These general capabilities are overarching and are intended to feature in all areas of learning across the Australian curriculum. In considering how a school library can work with each of these capabilities, this paper will explore concrete programs, activities and approaches that support and extend the various capabilities. This paper will also recognise aspects of the school library's role in community and culture that, though important, are often overlooked. This role is an important one for school libraries now and into the future as we rework our role in light of changing technologies and documents such as Australia's new curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technologies now enable firms to collect detailed and potentially intrusive data about their customers both easily and cheaply. Privacy concerns are thus no longer limited to government surveillance and public figures' private lives. The empirical literature shows that privacy regulation may affect the extent and direction of data-based innovation. We also show that the impacts of privacy regulation can be extremely heterogeneous. We therefore argue that digitization has made privacy policy a part of innovation policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the price measures of communication equipment in the U.S. from 1963 to 2009 including satellites, ground stations and cell phones which are integral components of communications infrastructure. Topics include the aggregate telecommunication equipment price index, cellular phones price index and the technological advancement of modern communications equipment. Considerations on the consistent price decline of the equipment with regard to productivity growth are cited.

As in other catch-up countries inflation is likely to stay high going forward due to nominal convergence. To better cope with the risk of a too rapid pick up of wages during the convergence process on the one hand and to raise the adjustment potential of the economy to macroeconomic shocks on the other, labour and product market flexibility is essential. Three main areas for improvement are discussed in this chapter. First, wage flexibility should be safeguarded by avoiding significant increases in minimum wages and by abolishing legal extension of collective wage settlements. Second, competition needs to be strengthened, especially in the liberal professions where entry and conduct regulation should be eased. In addition, the points of single contact that already exist for small enterprises should be extended to entrepreneurs of the liberal professions. Third, a wider use of information and communication technology (ICT) could lead to important productivity gains. Removing obstacles to the spread of e-business and a swift implementation of e-government are imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last half of the 1990s, labor productivity growth rose in the U.S. and fell almost everywhere in Europe. We document changes in both capital deepening and multifactor productivity (MFP) growth in both the information and communication technology (ICT) and non-ICT sectors. We view MFP growth in the ICT sector as investment-specific productivity (ISP) growth. We perform simulations suggested by the data using a two-country DGE model with traded and nontraded goods. For ISP, we consider level increases and persistent growth rate increases that are symmetric across countries and allow for costs of adjusting capital-labor ratios that are higher in one country because of structural differences. ISP increases generate investment booms unless adjustment costs are too high. For MFP, we consider persistent growth rate shocks that are asymmetric. When such MFP shocks affect only traded goods (as often assumed), movements in ‘international’ variables are qualitatively similar to those in the data. However, when they also affect nontraded goods (as suggested by the data), movements in some of the variables are not. To obtain plausible results for the growth rate shocks, it is necessary to assume slow recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the positive effect of information and communication technologies (ICT) on carbon emissions and other climatic challenges as a business opportunity. The objective is to produce a white paper to explore ICT sector's opportunities regarding existing and future revenue streams for energy-saving ICT applications. This will include World Wildlife Fund along with selected partners who will contribute to the already existing strategy of reducing carbon emissions.

The article presents the research paper titled "Cybersecurity Issues and Challenges: In Brief" by Eric A. Fischer, a Senior Specialist in Science and Technology at the U.S. Congressional Research Service. Topics include the evolution of the information and communications technology (ICT) industry in the U.S., the management of cybersecurity risks including threats, vulnerabilities, and impacts, and the role of the federal government in cybersecurity.

The article discusses the importance of criminal intelligence to effectively enforce criminal law in the Baltic Sea Region. It explores the value of criminal intelligence work in controlling the occurrence of organised crime and terrorist groups through the employment of information and communication technologies (ICT) and an intensified freedom of movement in the area. It also cites the creation of the Task Force on Organised Crime to fight crime syndicates and organizations.

This study analyzes the progress in information and communication technologies (ICT) in eleven MED countries and how they compare to the rest of the world in terms of sector's sophistication and development. In recent years, most countries of this region opened up their markets for multiple players, greatly enhancing competition and increasing the number and quality of services. However, compared with the rest of the world, the region has still lagged behind. Yet this could change fairly rapidly as more countries adopt liberalization polices and good governance that would attract FDI and expand the markets. Being a laggard may actually avail some benefits, as countries adopt best practices and learn from the pitfalls of earlier liberalizers! Compared to other regions, generally MED countries rank below the Americas and Europe in terms of cellular, fixed and Internet adoption rates. However, they rank above Africa across all services and above Asia/Pacific in cellular and Internet services penetration. Looking ahead, the paper analyzes three scenarios for the coming 20 years; pessimistic, steady state and optimistic. There are a number of key factors that would drive these various scenarios and their illustrative outcomes, such as the investment climate, regulatory institutions (this includes the rule of law, judiciary, transparency and fairness) and the government openness to participation of citizens in public affairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher-librarians are interested in learning new things to be better able to meet the needs of the students and teachers in schools and school libraries. This paper reports the findings from a survey of Canadian teacher-librarians about their recent professional development experiences. While many teacher-librarians reported relevant professional development experiences at the school and district level (e.g. assessment, inquiry, information and communication technology, literacy, etc.), almost 20% of the respondents to this survey felt that they had received no professional development that helped them in their work in school libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to describe and demonstrate how social networks such as Facebook and Goodreads, and information and communication technologies (ICTs) tools like laptops and iPods can support and enhance literature circles. The innovation described is implemented by the library and aims to promote reading for all students regardless of their reading ability. The approach seeks to encourage and support language learning through the use of ICT tools and social networks. It aims to stimulate participation and discussion outside the classroom. Children's motivation to learn language and use it effectively at school is social (Vygotsky, 1962/1986; Harste, Woodward & Burke, 1984). The social aspect of communication is critical in forming positive attitudes toward reading (Ruddell, 2005) (Powell-Brown, 2006). The approach brings English teachers and teacher-librarians together to tap student interest in social networking and their ICT expertise. In other words, it aims to motivate them through connecting more closely with their worlds and ways of learning. Expected outcomes focus on better literacy skills through helping students make sense of what they are reading; communicate more easily and effectively; develop the skills and mindsets necessary to become life-long learners; enjoy reading and learning. By encouraging reading as a pleasurable activity we hope to improve our students' reading skill levels. We believe this is more likely to happen when they feel empowered through becoming better readers and so develop a greater desire to read and meet their own information needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights events related to children's services in Great Britain as of March 2009. A report from the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) reveals improvement in the achievement in information and communication technology (ICT) both in primary and secondary schools despite a decline in popularity. The National Union of Teachers has rejected support from Ofsted in the form of math booklets. A high technology computer system was launched by the Scottish Executive.

In this paper, we describe the process of an often experienced, but rarely documented, process of shaping a new research focus. Specifically, we report our initial work in planning a collaborative research initiative between educational institutions and libraries in Canada and Ethiopia. Using multiple qualitative methods for collecting a variety of information from different sources, and employing hermeneutic perspectives to begin to understand the context and challenges of literacy education and libraries in Ethiopia, we conclude with a framework for research questions centered on expanding basic literacy to digital literacy and the role of libraries in that endeavour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper focuses on abilities of librarians to adapt and respond to the constantly emerging changes influenced by the advancement of ICT. The authors emphasize the necessity of defining and promoting new concept and understanding of the school library in electronic environment. Traditional school library roles need to adapt and change to respond to the needs of new users growing up in the interactive and information overloaded environment. Many of the aspects of current school library tasks and roles originate from a print-based culture which is incongruent with the transient and hybrid nature of digital environments. These radically changing environments are posing different tasks on school librarians leading them to balance carefully between the traditional school environments, infrastructure, institutions hierarchy and with the various new needs of "Google generation" users. Taking into account all the changes in the information environment authors emphasise the necessary improvements in education of school librarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents current research, and complementary perspectives on how and why interdisciplinary collaboration efforts contribute to positive outcomes for student science achievement. Undergraduate students, practising science teachers, and school library media specialists are included in this discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A report on the opportunities provided by the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is presented. It examines and compares the literature on ICT-enabled carbon dioxide emission mitigations. It provides a quantitative evaluation of emission mitigations potential of individual ICT solutions. Activities that may gain interaction between GHG emissions and ICT are also advised.

The article discusses the initiatives of the World Wildlife Fund and Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) to reduce the cause of climate change and its consequences. They have launched a private sector nongovernmental organization (NGO) partnership that leverages information technologies. HP has formed the Sustainable Innovation Zone for employees to submit ideas on reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. The WWF has mapped information and communication technology (ICT) solutions.

The article presents a case study on the benefits of integrated information systems and role of information and communications technology in improving the efficiency of Japanese imaging and optical products manufacturer Canon Inc. It explains the nature of information management as a strategic proactive issue and outlines the cost advantages associated with effective information management. It also discusses the contribution of information management systems in effective school administration.