Journal Article

Is the mono-disciplinary current construction always adapted in a social and professional context complex and changing? Discipline is a way to prioritize the knowledge corresponding to a cognitive need to categorize for simplicity. However, we observe that it does not make connections between knowledge and handle complex problems inseparable innovation. Based on an analysis of occupations from different disciplines but working closely, it appears that problems of misunderstanding and "turf war" tarnish relationships and impact the quality of work.  In proposing to operate shared territories between disciplines, as an area of ​​freedom and articulation between occupations that tend to isolate themselves, it is to bring more f luidité and efficiency in industrial relations. [googletranslate_en]

The effect of the spread of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on wages depends on both the form of aggregate production relationships and the elasticity of substitution between human and robotic labor. With a conventional production function involving labor, robots, and ordinary capital, an increase in robotic labor can have either a positive or a negative effect on wages. Alternatively, it is possible to estimate the aggregate production relationship without measuring capital or other fixed factors explicitly, using the procedure developed by Houthakker in the 1950s. Houthakker's method is based on the probability distribution of the productivity of the variable factor. Fitting different distributions to cross-sectional data on U.S. productivity, it is shown that if the elasticity of substitution between human and robotic labor is greater than about 1.9, the burgeoning of AI technologies will cause a decline in aggregate wages, other things equal. For the manufacturing sector, an even smaller human-robot elasticity of substitution is likely to result in declining wages of industrial workers as robots proliferate.

In a context of strong competitiveness, engineers represent a workforce highly skilled and sought after by French companies. Dating back nearly three centuries, their education system is disrupted, schools are forced to react. The access to an engineering through learning is a surprising change. We interview the potential impact of this device on engineering recruitment practices. [googletranslate_en]

The so-called “gig-economy” has been growing exponentially in numbers and importance in recent years but its impact on labour rights has been largely overlooked. Forms of work in the “gig-economy” include “crowd work”, and “work-on-demand via apps”, under which the demand and supply of working activities is matched online or via mobile apps. These forms of work can provide a good match of job opportunities and allow flexible working schedules. However, they can also pave the way to a severe commodification of work. This paper discusses the implications of this commodification and advocates the full recognition of activities in the gig-economy as “work”. It shows how the gig-economy is not a separate silo of the economy and that is part of broader phenomena such as casualization and informalisation of work and the spread of non-standard forms of employment. It then analyses the risks associated to these activities with regard to Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, as they are defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and addresses the issue of misclassification of the employment status of workers in the gig-economy. Current relevant trends are thus examined, such as the emergence of forms of self-organisation of workers. Finally, some policy proposals are critically analysed, such as the possibility of creating an intermediate category of worker between “employee” and “independent contractor” to classify work in the gig-economy, and other tentative proposals are put forward such extension of fundamental labour rights to all workers irrespective of employment status, and recognition of the role of social partners in this respect, whilst avoiding temptations of hastened deregulation.

Offering to update the traditional characterization of the business manager in roles and activities, this article describes the business manager of today through a skills matrix and takes a forward-looking approach to propose a scenario of changing profession manager for the future. We show that this business will be subject to three fields of particular tension: in the matter of responsibility for the decision, in particular, a combination of managerial and technical expertise, individualitás management and federation of a collective. [googletranslate_en]

Simulated connected, modular, the plant is an industrial cyberphysique together become based on the dynamic articulation of real and virtual worlds. It is a promising horizon for the industry: in addition to productivity gains which can be achieved, there is a real overhaul of the industrial production process, a revival of the training issues, the prospects for relocation industrial jobs, as well as the emergence of new challenges to cybersecurity. Actor innovation since its inception, Siemens actively contributes to the writing of this new industrial page. If private actors play a key role in the rise of the industry of the future, whose cyberphysique factory is one of the illustrations, the government involvement is essential. [googletranslate_en]

We use HISCLASS to code the occupational titles of over 30,000 English male workers according to the skill content of their work. We then track the evolution of the sampled working skills across three centuries of English history, from 1550 to 1850. We observe a modest rise in the share of ‘high-quality workmen’ deemed necessary by Mokyr and others to facilitate the Industrial Revolution, including machine erectors and operators. But we also find remarkable growth in the share of unskilled workers, rising from 20 % in the late sixteenth century to nearly 40 % in the early nineteenth century, caused mainly by falling shares of semi-skilled, blue-collar workers. Close inspection of the occupational structures within the main sectors of production suggests that deskilling occurred in agriculture and industry alike, prompted by land concentration in agriculture and workshop-to-factory changes in industry.

Several recent European studies of trends and prospective use very similar methods, inspired by Delphi approach to identify the mutation factors trades and business functions, including HR function. This article presents the results of a study of trends conducted in French-speaking Switzerland with this type of methodological approach. After a critical presentation of the method used, we present the main factors of external and internal changes, and the priority HR issues identified by a group of 34 experts. We discuss Swiss contextual specificities from recent studies in France and Germany. [googletranslate_en]

Ernest Davis and Gary Marcus share their views on the significance of common-sense reasoning and common-sense knowledge in artificial intelligence (AI). Many intelligent tasks, such as understanding texts, computer vision, planning, and scientific reasoning require the real-world knowledge and reasoning abilities. Techniques for implementing common-sense include logical analysis, handcrafting large knowledge bases, Web mining, and crowdsourcing. Intelligent machines need not replicate human cognition directly, but a better understanding of human common-sense is needed to perform such activities.