Leiden, Netherlands, 26 February 2026 – Digital transformation has reduced the share of routine work across advanced economies over the past decade, a new SkiLMeeT report shows. Most changes are occurring within existing jobs through shifts in the tasks workers perform, rather than through large movements of workers between occupations.
The report, “Skills and Tasks,” by SkiLMeeT researchers Piotr Lewandowski and Karol Madoń of the Institute for Structural Research (IBS), analyses worker-level data from two waves of the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) covering 2011–2023. Combining direct measures of adult skills with a task-based indicator of Routine Task Intensity (RTI), the study examines how job tasks and skill use have evolved across 16 high-income countries.
The analysis finds a broad decline in routine task intensity, reflecting a shift away from repetitive and codifiable activities toward tasks requiring greater judgement and problem-solving. However, the transition has not occurred uniformly, with countries and demographic groups experiencing the shift at different speeds.
The report also shows that women and younger workers continue to perform more routine-intensive tasks on average, although the gender gap has narrowed over time as tasks have gradually been redistributed within occupations.
The findings suggest that digital technologies are reshaping labour demand primarily by altering the task composition of existing jobs rather than eliminating occupations altogether.
“Overall, the findings imply that digital transformation will not eliminate routine work but will continue to reconfigure it. Policy responses should therefore prioritise strengthening foundational and transversal skills, supporting lifelong learning, and ensuring that workers can complement rather than be displaced by new technologies,” the report said.
Piotr Lewandowski and Karol Madoń (2025) Report skills and tasks, SkiLMeeT Deliverable D3.1
The report is available here
