The ILO, JRC and external experts discuss next steps in the research of automation in the apparel and automotive sectors and their gender dimensions

The first Technical Workshop on the Effects of Automation in the Apparel and Automotive Sectors and their Gender Dimension was held on 15 April 2021. The main goal of the workshop was to have an open discussion on the research framework and design, listen and learn from selected experts and kick-off the knowledge building component of the EU-ILO Future of Work project. The virtual event brought together the research teams from the ILO and the European Commission Joint Research Center (JRC), selected subject matter experts from academia, and colleagues from the ILO and the European Commission.

The Future of Work is upon us, and technological change and automation are a central driver of the ongoing transformation of the world of work. In this context, much attention has been devoted to studying the impacts of automation on employment. Many acknowledge that these outcomes are uneven, varying across regions of the world, economic sectors, as well as amongst groups of workers, including women and men. Yet there is little evidence on the processes behind these outcomes, and in particular, why they seem to further reinforce, rather than alleviate, gender inequalities.

This research project aims at understanding how technology interacts with different local social structures, cultural norms and institutional systems, in the context of global value chains. The automotive and apparel industries were chosen because, despite being highly integrated in global and regional supply chains, they are at opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of automation and the gender composition of their labour force.