Austria in the Process of Digitalisation

The ongoing process of digitalisation increasingly affects ever more areas of production and consumption. The fascination with new technological opportunities on the one hand, and the simultaneous fear of its consequences on the other, often leads society to overestimate its impacts in the short-run and underestimate them in the long-run. This study shows, among other findings, a positive impact of digitalisation on employment growth at the regional level, but also a shift of occupational tasks towards non-routinised analytic and interactive activities. Telecommunications is the critical infrastructure of digitalisation. International comparisons reveal considerable deficits in Austria regarding the provision of high-speed networks and the use of advanced digital services.