Abstract
Although there is a plethora of literature that supports the existence of a technological bias in the US and Europe, exploring such a subject in the developing countries is still relevant and very little processed. This article is part of the perspective that involves examining and bringing additional insight to the phenomenon of the technological change skewed in the Tunisian context. Estimating a multinomial logit model directed to 902 employees generated very original results. First, these results confirm the existence of a technological bias in favour of skilled workers in the Tunisian labour market. However, it is no longer the access or the intensive use of ICT at work that privileges some employees and not others, in terms of pay, but rather the employees’ digital skills which contribute to rising inequality. Even more, it is the ability to get, select, process and evaluate information based on the specific needs and capacity to use it to achieve specific objectives, and not the simple manipulation of digital technologies and structures, that are at the core of the problem. Finally, the organizational change also contributes to the amplification of the existing wage disparities. Actually, the more independent the employee is in carrying out his tasks and works per project, the higher the probability of earning a high salary vs low and medium salary. However, several other types of organizations do not have any significant positive effect on the wage rise. This reflects a weakness in the labour organization in the Tunisian firms.
Highlights
The advent of the digital economy through the dissemination of information and communication technology is made mostly responsible for the rising wage inequality
This article is part of the perspective that involves examining and bringing additional insight to the phenomenon of the technological change skewed in the Tunisian context
It should be recalled that the goal of our research is to find out if there is a technological bias in Tunisia for the most qualified employees
Summary
The advent of the digital economy through the dissemination of information and communication technology is made mostly responsible for the rising wage inequality. The recent consensus is based on the fact that the technological change favors the most skilled workers, substitutes the tasks previously carried out by unskilled workers and worsens the existing inequalities (Acemoglu, 2005 ; Card et DiNardo, 2002 ; He et Lui, 2008 ;Winchester et Greenaway, 2007). This opinion was formed through past experience which shows that the arrival of. A new wave of technological innovation in the US had coincided with a considerable rise of inequality between qualifications and within each socio-professional category (Quinet, 2000) This coincidence fueled the argument of a technological bias that can take different versions. This concept of complementarity had been extremely important in the literature about the technological progress and was used mostly as a theoretical argument that bases the existence of a technological bias (Bartel and Sicherman, 1997; Card and DiNardo, 2002)
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