Deskilling
Encyclopedia
Deskilling is the process by which skilled
labor
within an industry or economy is eliminated by the introduction of technologies operated by semiskilled or unskilled workers. This results in cost savings due to lower investment in human capital
, and reduces barriers to entry, weakening the bargaining power of the human capital.
It is criticized for decreasing quality, demeaning labor (rendering work mechanical, rather than thoughtful and making workers automatons rather than artisans), and undermining community.
In an application to the arts, Benjamin Buchloh
defines deskilling as "a concept of considerable importance in describing numerous artistic endeavors throughout the twentieth century with relative precision. All of these are linked in their persistent effort to eliminate artisanal competence and other forms of manual virtuosity from the horizon of both artist competence and aesthetic valuation."
.
Skill (labor)
Skill is a measure of a worker's expertise, specialization, wages, and supervisory capacity. Skilled workers are generally more trained, higher paid, and have more responsibilities than unskilled workers....
labor
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
within an industry or economy is eliminated by the introduction of technologies operated by semiskilled or unskilled workers. This results in cost savings due to lower investment in human capital
Human capital
Human capitalis the stock of competencies, knowledge and personality attributes embodied in the ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value. It is the attributes gained by a worker through education and experience...
, and reduces barriers to entry, weakening the bargaining power of the human capital.
It is criticized for decreasing quality, demeaning labor (rendering work mechanical, rather than thoughtful and making workers automatons rather than artisans), and undermining community.
Examples
Examples of deprofessionalization can be found across many professions, and include:- assembly line workers replacing artisans and craftsmen
- CNC machine tools replacing machinists
- super-automatic espresso machineEspresso machineAn espresso machine is used to produce the traditional Italian coffee beverage called espresso.-History:The first machine for making espresso was built and patented by Angelo Moriondo of Turin, Italy, who demonstrated a working example at the Turin General Exposition of 1884. He was granted patent no...
s replacing skilled baristaBaristaA barista is a person, usually a coffee-house employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks.- Application of the title :...
s - doctors; the M.D. is being replaced by "Health Care Providers"
- nurses
- pharmacists
- social workers
- librarians
Impact
Work is fragmented, and individuals lose the integrated skills and comprehensive knowledge of the crafts persons.In an application to the arts, Benjamin Buchloh
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Modern Art at Harvard University. His 2000 book, Neo-Avantgarde and Culture Industry, is a collection of eighteen essays on major figures of postwar art written since the late 1970s...
defines deskilling as "a concept of considerable importance in describing numerous artistic endeavors throughout the twentieth century with relative precision. All of these are linked in their persistent effort to eliminate artisanal competence and other forms of manual virtuosity from the horizon of both artist competence and aesthetic valuation."
Related
Related to the topic of deskilling is deprofessionalization and labor-saving devices. See also the Luddite fallacyLuddite fallacy
The Luddite fallacy is an opinion in development economics related to the belief that labour-saving technologies increase unemployment by reducing demand for labour. The concept is named after the Luddites of early nineteenth century England.The original Luddites were hosiery and lace workers in...
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