When Work Takes Flight

Research results from the EMERGENCE project

Huws U (ed.) | Report 397 | Institute for Employment Studies | Mar 2003

cover image

A new global division of labour is emerging in knowledge work, as information and communications technologies introduce a new range of choices in who does what work, where and when. Work involving the processing of digitised information can now be carried out anywhere in the world, where the right skills and infrastructure exist.

Between 2000 and 2003, the EMERGENCE project carried out research to map and measure these new trends. This final report summarises the results of a major 18-country survey, 62 in-depth case studies and a critical review of the evidence.

It includes special sections on modelling eWork in Europe, the dynamics of eWork relocation, the implications for small and medium-sized enterprises, and the continuing importance of national differences in the development of a knowledge-based economy.