Interim Reply to Recommendation 1314 - New technologies and employment

Doc. 7983

13 January 1998

New technologies and employment

Interim reply to Recommendation 1314 (1997)

from the Committee of Ministers

adopted on 25 November 1997 at the 609th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies

1. The Committee of Ministers has noted with interest Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1314 (1997) on new technologies and employment. It has brought it to the attention of the governments of the member States and requested the following committees of experts to bear it in mind in their future work programmes: the Education Committee (CC-ED), the Committee on Higher Education and Research (CC-HER) and the Steering Committee on Local and Regional Authorities (CDLR).

2. The topic of the impact of the new technologies on employment has been part of the work of the Steering Committee for Employment and Labour (CDEM) and has been identified by the latter as one of the elements of the economic restructuring process. The activity focusing on the social and economic consequences of the restructuring of Europe's economies will lead this year to the completion of a final report. The report is expected to contain proposals for future action at national and international level to attenuate the adverse consequences of restructuring and promote its positive aspects. Certain elements of the question of the impact of the new technologies on employment have been considered in the framework of earlier CDEM activities. Two reports are available on the subject: i) the report of the programme of co-ordinated research on the protection of persons working at home, published in 1989, regarding problems associated with "telework" and relations between the social partners; ii) the report on the effects of the development of micro-technology on the organisation of work and employment in the printing industry, published in 1987. Also, in 1994 the Committee of Ministers adopted Recommendation R(94)2 on the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, which emphasised the potential of small and medium-sized enterprises for creating employment.

3. The impact of the new technologies on the employment of disabled persons and the introduction of the latter into the educational system is taken into account by the Working Group on employment strategies for persons with disabilities (P-RR-SEH). This Group, which reports to the Committee on the rehabilitation and integration of people with disabilities (CD-P-RR), has been instructed to collect and analyse strategies, assess the concept of "assisted employment" and study the role and responsibilities of the social partners and organisations of disabled persons in this process. The Group gave particular attention to the threats, which the new technologies entail for persons with adaptation and learning difficulties. It also concerns itself with opportunities for persons of limited mobility. Moreover, the Committee of Ministers takes this opportunity to inform the Parliamentary Assembly of work soon to be undertaken by the Committee on the Rehabilitation and Integration of People with Disabilities (Partial Agreement) on the impact of new technologies on the quality of life of persons with disabilities.

This work will consider the impact of new technology in terms of physical disability, sensory impairment, learning disability and mental illness. It will begin in 1998 and end in 2000. The Committee of Ministers draws the Assembly's attention to these important aspects, even though they are not raised in Recommendation 1314.

4. The Committee of Ministers recognises the value of adopting a multidisciplinary approach to examine the impact of the new technologies as referred to in paragraph 8 of Recommendation 1314. Concerning paragraph 10 of the above-mentioned Recommendation, the Committee of Ministers wishes to assure the Parliamentary Assembly, that within the frame of its current review of the Council of Europe's aims in the social field, it will examine the impact of social and economic change on employment including the possible relationship between rapid technological change and high unemployment.

5. The review of the Council of Europe's work in the social field in the follow-up to the Second Summit of the Heads of State and Government will be decisive in defining a new and multidisciplinary strategy for the Organisation in this sector. The Committee of Ministers assures the Parliamentary Assembly that it will not fail to inform it of its decisions in this regard and particularly of those concerning the employment field.