How computerized work and globalization shape human skills demands – Frank Levy and Richard J. Murnane

Résumé du document

This text is a paper which was written by F. Levy and R. J. Murnane in order to understand a phenomenon which characterizes globalization, especially in western societies: the disappearance of works which can be made by computers or workers in developing countries (smaller wages). This process has impacts on the labour market and the educational system. Their work is both an economic and a psychological study of globalization.

First, the authors explain how work can substitute for human beings to do a job; they underscore what computers really do. In some cases, computers clearly substitute for human skills whereas in other cases, they complement them. The authors explain the difference between a work which can be based on cognitive capacities (made by human beings) and a work which involve the execution of rules (it can be made by computers). The rules executed can be both deductive (simple) or inductive (more complicated because they are based on statistics).

In the second case, the computers are able to create a scoring model rule. Hence, computers can issue a boarding pass or do a MIT telephone operator's work. However, computers cannot always substitute for human work: it is sometimes too much difficult for them. In this case, they complement the work made by human beings. The authors identify two main limits of computer substitution.

The first one is the inability to represent information: for instance, computers do not express feelings and they are not able to understand the patient's history and body language as a doctor would do it. The second most important limit is the inability to articulate rules. Indeed, in human interactions, you cannot necessarily express everything even if you know it: it is difficult to determine rules for such tasks. In this case, computers cannot substitute for human labour. These tasks can be in both high skilled jobs and low skilled work.

Extraits

[...] However, computers cannot always substitute for human work: it is sometimes too much difficult for them. In this case, they complement the work made by human beings. The authors identify two main limits of computer substitution. The first one is the inability to represent information: for instance, computers do not express feelings and they are not able to understand the patient's history and body language as a doctor would do it. The second most important limit is the inability to articulate rules. [...]

[...] The skills identified by the authors require an emphasis on the subjects such as writing, reading and mathematics. At the same time, workers must compete for lower skilled jobs because of the process of globalisation. To succeed, basic skills become more and more important. Low- skilled employees need to use their basic skills in reading and writing in their everyday life. Mathematics is also crucial for employees, especially because of the process of globalisation. Moreover, such changes in the labour market also influence the way of teaching advanced skills, especially expert thinking and complex communication. [...]

[...] A computer cannot feel this ambiguity: the work has to be standardized in order to allow the execution of rules by the computer. The problem of communication between two people becomes more complex in the context of globalisation because people so not necessarily share the same culture. If a task can be represented simply for a computer (inductive or deductive rules), it means this task can be moved offshore or relocated, especially when it does not rely on tacit knowledge. [...]

[...] How computerized work and globalization shape human skills demands Frank Levy and Richard J. Murnane This text is a paper which was written by F. Levy and R. J. Murnane in order to understand a phenomenon which characterizes globalization, especially in western societies: the disappearance of works which can be made by computers or workers in developing countries (smaller wages). This process has impacts on the labour market and the educational system. Their work is both an economic and a psychological study of globalization. [...]