Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INCISIVE (Occupation Insecurity: Conceptualization, Scale Development, and International Application and Validation)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-09-01 al 2022-08-31
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.
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.
In order to conceptualize and validate the occupation insecurity scale (OCIS), a series of research methods were employed, including focus groups, subject-matter expert interviews, a quantitative pilot study, and a quantitative main study in the form of a survey. Translations into Dutch and French were also conducted. The results of the study indicate that OCIS is a reliable and valid tool for measuring occupation insecurity.
In a representative sample in Belgium, the findings from this project indicate that 13% of respondents feared their occupation may disappear due to automation and technological progress. A majority (61%) expected significant changes to their occupation and responsibilities as a result of technological advancements. As many as one in three respondents worried that their current skills were insufficient, while 58% believed they needed additional training in technology to continue performing in their current occupation.
Younger employees, below 30 years old, and those with a weaker labor market position were more concerned about the future content of their occupation. The insecurity has real-life implications for both employees and employers, negatively affecting work engagement, life, and job satisfaction. For example, 27% of respondents with high insecurity regarding their skillset reported lower work engagement compared to 15% of employees with lower insecurity.
Thus, the occupation insecurity scale (OCIS) is a useful tool to identify employees’ concerns in order to be able to take appropriate measures before occupation insecurity has a negative impact on employee wellbeing and organizational performance.
The OCIS scale has been adopted by other researchers (e.g. from Germany, Belgium, the USA and New Zealand) and organizations (e.g. COC-Christian Education Federation) in their own studies, indicating its relevance and usefulness in the field. In addition to peer-reviewd articles, results of the project have been disseminated through various conferences, meetings, workshops, and seminars, including:
• A guest lecture at KU Leuven in winter term 2021.
• A seminar at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, University of Oxford, in June 2022.
• Two lab meetings and a departmental meeting at Washington State University in March and April 2022.
• A symposium at the 15th European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology Conference in Bordeaux, France, in July 2022.
• A symposium at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Conference in Seattle, WA, USA, in April 2022.
• Blog posts on the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing website and the KU Leuven blog.
• Articles published through StepStone, which were picked up by international news outlets.
• A blog post on the German think tank for digitalization, Algorith.
• Two discussion evenings on occupation insecurity with members of Algorith.
• Participation in the German podcast "der Freitag."
In a representative sample in Belgium, the findings from this project indicate that 13% of respondents feared their occupation may disappear due to automation and technological progress. A majority (61%) expected significant changes to their occupation and responsibilities as a result of technological advancements. As many as one in three respondents worried that their current skills were insufficient, while 58% believed they needed additional training in technology to continue performing in their current occupation.
Younger employees, below 30 years old, and those with a weaker labor market position were more concerned about the future content of their occupation. The insecurity has real-life implications for both employees and employers, negatively affecting work engagement, life, and job satisfaction. For example, 27% of respondents with high insecurity regarding their skillset reported lower work engagement compared to 15% of employees with lower insecurity.
Thus, the occupation insecurity scale (OCIS) is a useful tool to identify employees’ concerns in order to be able to take appropriate measures before occupation insecurity has a negative impact on employee wellbeing and organizational performance.
The OCIS scale has been adopted by other researchers (e.g. from Germany, Belgium, the USA and New Zealand) and organizations (e.g. COC-Christian Education Federation) in their own studies, indicating its relevance and usefulness in the field. In addition to peer-reviewd articles, results of the project have been disseminated through various conferences, meetings, workshops, and seminars, including:
• A guest lecture at KU Leuven in winter term 2021.
• A seminar at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, University of Oxford, in June 2022.
• Two lab meetings and a departmental meeting at Washington State University in March and April 2022.
• A symposium at the 15th European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology Conference in Bordeaux, France, in July 2022.
• A symposium at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) Conference in Seattle, WA, USA, in April 2022.
• Blog posts on the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing website and the KU Leuven blog.
• Articles published through StepStone, which were picked up by international news outlets.
• A blog post on the German think tank for digitalization, Algorith.
• Two discussion evenings on occupation insecurity with members of Algorith.
• Participation in the German podcast "der Freitag."
The INCISIVE project had two main objectives: first, to provide a clear and empirically-driven conceptualization of occupation insecurity, differentiating it from related concepts; and second, to develop the Occupation Insecurity Scale (OCIS) in English, French, and Dutch. OCIS allows for research into the effects of occupation insecurity on a range of outcomes, including employee wellbeing, performance, work motivation, and behavior. It is the first step in a new field of research focused on technology-driven workplace insecurity and has already inspired further studies by researchers and organizations.
OCIS has the potential to prevent financial losses by allowing companies to measure their employees' level of occupation insecurity before implementing new technology. If high levels of occupation insecurity are identified, companies can take steps to address employees' fears, ensuring successful implementation of new technology without resistance. Going forward, the goal is to develop positive coping interventions, such as fostering employees' desire to learn new skills, coaching on career development, and exploring employees' additional competencies, capacities, and skills.
OCIS has the potential to prevent financial losses by allowing companies to measure their employees' level of occupation insecurity before implementing new technology. If high levels of occupation insecurity are identified, companies can take steps to address employees' fears, ensuring successful implementation of new technology without resistance. Going forward, the goal is to develop positive coping interventions, such as fostering employees' desire to learn new skills, coaching on career development, and exploring employees' additional competencies, capacities, and skills.