Der Informationssektor in Österreich

Mikroökononische Ausnirkungert neuer Informalionstechnologien 120
the total employment gains were much sreater than those registered in the soft-
ware industry itselt. Worldwide there were well ovel ten million people working
in softuare aclr\ilies bv lqq.l '
Die zunehmende Internatronalisierung könnte diesem Trend allerdings entgegenwirken. SeJbst
ernzelne Arbeitskräfte sind nicht mehr an einen bestimmten Standort cebunden, und es entsteht
ftrr bestimmte Tätigkeiten quasi ein internationaler Arbeitsmarkt. Zur Ze\r beschränkt sich die-
ser Effekt noch weitgehend auf die Auslagerung der Tätigkeiten einzelner Abteilung
(Outsourcing), rvobei hier bei informationsbezogenen Beschäftigungen direkte internationale
Konkurrenz besteht.
,,Whereas there is little doubt that there are many employment creation features
associated with the emergence and further diliusion of intbrmation and com-
munication technology, there are also good reasorts to assume that such em-
ployment creation might occur increasinglv in other countries fär removed lrom
the coun1ry of origin of such technologles At the same time. and alongside a
more traditional and expected pattern of relocation of unskilled manufacturing
activities in low wage countries. manufacturing employment in such activities in
'Northern'
the developed countries has increasingly' been competed away What
adds in particular to this international relcrcation process in manufacturing is the
role of rnformation and communicatjon technologv in enabling increased inter-
national tradability ofa number ofhitherto'untradable'service activities. Yet it
has been precisely those service activities which have until norv provided most
of the employnent growth in the developed OECD countries. The f'ear of a
rapid growth in unemployment associated with the funher diffusion of ICT is
consequently in the first instance related to the potential displacement of many
routine jobs in manufacturing airrl sen'ices to lorver labour cost regions and
countries. ""'
Während nun auch gerade die Arbeitsproduktivität positiv durch IKT beeinflußt wird, ist die
Auswirkung dieses Effektes nicht klar. Die Foige könnte einerseits die Substitution von Ar-
'"
Frccnran & Soele 199-1. S. 59 ff.
n'
Frccrnan & Soete 199.1. S. r'7