The employment effects of flexible integrated automation in small and medium firms: evidence from the Italian case

Abstract

Aims to point out some effects caused by the implementation of flexible integrated automation on employment in small and medium Italian firms. Debates some economic theses such as: intra‐firm diffusion, deskilling labour process, the role of training and, finally, the creation of technological unemployment. Concludes that the first three examples of empirical evidence have largely confirmed the theoretical consensus on the employment effects of flexible integrated automation implementation. The fourth empirical evidence is, on the contrary, quite discordant.

Citation

Calabrese, G. (1995), "The employment effects of flexible integrated automation in small and medium firms: evidence from the Italian case", Integrated Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 35-41. https://doi.org/10.1108/09576069510082138