As part of the Data Science and Simulation seminar series, LISER and the SkiLMeeT project will host a hybrid event on how digital technologies reshape vocational training and labour market outcomes.
At the event, SkiLMeeT researcher, Ulrich Zierahn-Weilage (Utrecht University) will present his joint research with Cäcilia Lipowski (ifo Institute) and Anna Salomons (Utrecht University), “Expertise at Work: New Technologies, New Skills, and Worker Impacts“.
The webinar will take place in person in Esch-sur-Alzette / Belval and will also be accessible online on Wednesday, 14 May 2025, from 12:45 to 13:45 CET.
Based on a unique dataset of vocational training curricula in Germany spanning five decades, the study uses Natural Language Processing to trace how breakthrough technologies—identified through patent data—have influenced training content. Their findings show that technology adoption drives updates in training content, leading to more emphasis on digital and social skills and less on routine tasks.The study also finds that updated training helps workers adapt to evolving skill demands and earn higher wages. In contrast, older workers in unchanged roles experience wage declines, consistent with skill obsolescence. Firms employing workers with updated training are more likely to invest in new capital, highlighting the broader economic effects of skill renewal.
Ulrich Zierahn-Weilage is Associate Professor at the Utrecht University School of Economics and Research Associate at the ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research. His work focuses on the effects of digitalisation and globalisation on labour markets and regional development.
Register here
