자동화와 근로시간 관행

This study carries out an empirical analysis on how automation affects working hour practices, utilizing the second through fourth waves of Workplace Panel Survey Data. Set are the hypotheses that automation is likely to have positive effects on the adoption of shift system, furthermore the number of shifts, and the adoption of flextime, considering its motivation to meet the needs for longer operating times of the automated machines due to its higher capital intensity, higher price, more continuous production process, higher labor productivity, and higher speed of technological obsolescence, given the regulated working hours. I also set a hypothesis that automation has the impact of an inverted U-shape on the length of working hours. Panel data models and additionally cross-sectional data models are estimated. The results of this study indicate that automation tends to have significantly significant effects on the working hour practices in cross-sectional analyses, but not in panel data analyses. First, automation has partially positive effects on the adoption of shift arrangements and the number of shifts. Second, automation has rarely positive effects on the adoption of flextime. Third, automation partially has an inverted U-shape of effects on the length of working hours. Finally I summarize the results of this study and discuss their implications.