Work, employment and careers in the ICT sector

: a comparative study of the UK and Germany

Abstract

By deploying a novel and original framework, comprising status, country and sector effects, this research study generates unique insights into work set-ups in the ICT sector in cross-national perspective and provides a distinctive approach to understanding the pertinent trends affecting work, employment and careers in this prominent sector, often regarded as the vanguard of change and innovation, thereby rendering it particularly useful for multi-level comparative research whilst taking into consideration a deliberate sector focus.
The evaluation of a status effect, based on the different employment status of respondents, derived major themes impacting upon the individual career trajectories of workers, their motivation to pursue their respective career trajectories, perceptions of job security and self-sufficiency, and the acceptance of portfolio careers. Implying a degree of divergence persisting in the respective countries of work, the influence of a country effect evaluates the national context of respondents operating in the contrasting market economies of the UK and Germany, resulting in varying reflections on work pressure and the dynamics associated with the psychological contract. Exploring the influence of a sector effect stemming from the ICT sector facilitated the investigation of the pervasive trends therein, including the proliferation of atypical work set-ups and recognised skill shortages, providing an overarching perspective on its prevailing influence, potentially overriding the afore-mentioned effects, and ultimately resulting in convergence. Considered in their entirety, the nexus and interplay of the various effects by way of the “three-effect-framework” realised a holistic approach to conceptualising the experiences and perceptions of self-employed and employed knowledge workers in the ICT sector, thus underlining the original contribution made by this research study to existing literature.

Date of Award	May 2017
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Portsmouth
Supervisor	Stephen Williams (Supervisor), Peter Scott (Supervisor) & Rita Fontinha (Supervisor)