Digitalisierung in der Covid-19-Pandemie Corona hat den digitalen Graben zwischen den Betrieben vertieft

To survive the COVID-19 pandemic, firms had to invest in digital technologies. It remains unclear whether the "digital divide" between firms has deepened as a result—whether firms with prior experience in digitalization have invested more heavily in further digitalization compared to those that had no experience with such technologies before the pandemic. This question can now be explored using data from the new IAB-IZA-ZEW establishment survey "Work Environment 4.0."

In brief: ● During the COVID-19 pandemic, only a few firms experienced a surge in digitalization. This is shown by the results of the new establishment survey "Work Environment 4.0," conducted by the IAB in collaboration with ZEW and IZA. ● Firms predominantly invested in technologies that enabled employees to perform their work remotely—especially to facilitate digital communication and collaboration. Consequently, the pandemic-driven surge in digitalization was significantly stronger in firms where a larger share of tasks could be performed from home. ● Particularly, firms that already had experience with computer-assisted, intelligent 4.0 technologies before the pandemic made investments due to COVID-19. As a result, the "digital divide" between firms deepened during the pandemic. ● Firms lagging behind in this development risk losing market share and may eventually be forced out of the market. Employees in these firms face not only wage reductions but also the possibility of outdated skills if they experience job loss or their firm shuts down.