Statistical Indicators of eWork: A Discussion Paper. IES Report.

The EMERGENCE project carried out by the IES (Institute for Employment Studies) aimed to measure "eWork" at a global level. For the project, eWork was defined to mean any type of work that involves the digital processing of information and that uses a telecommunications link for receipt or delivery of the work to a remote employer or business client. Providing an overview for discussion, the project report first outlines the definition of eWork and then addresses the question of the value of monitoring eWork and points out its relevance to policymakers in many disciplines. Finally, the report discusses the inadequacy of the existing sectoral and occupational classification systems to capture the characteristics and dynamics of eWork, and suggests some issues for consideration by European agencies involved in the collection and analysis of statistics on the information economy. The report concludes with several recommendations, including the following: (1) European labor force surveys should include questions that make it possible to identify people who work at or from their homes or from multiple locations using computers with a telecommunications link to employers or clients; (2) the updating of occupational classification codes should include a process for capturing information on the new jobs that are emerging in the information economy and synchronizing codes throughout Europe; (3) methods for collecting information about earnings for such occupational groups should be developed; and (4) the data from such studies should be updated regularly through additional surveys. (KC)