Teknologi i arbejdslivet set gennem 25 år med Tidsskrift for Arbejdsliv

Abstract

This article explores the evolving role of technology in Danish working life through a retrospective analysis of 25 years of publications in Journal for Working Life Studies. Drawing on thematic issues and individual contributions, the study examines how technology has been conceptualised, discussed, and integrated into working life research. Early issues often treated technology as a background factor, emphasising organisational dynamics over technological matters. Over time, however, the role of technology has increased, particularly in relation to digitisation and public sector transformation. Later, other theoretical perspectives have been taken up, foregrounding the co-constitution of work practices and technology. The article identifies a growing attention to the impact of technology on professional identity, autonomy, and ethics, especially in welfare and healthcare contexts. Despite this expansion, gaps remain – particularly in the coverage of industrial technologies and private sector developments. Also, large macro-oriented discussions, prominent in other fields such as surveillance capitalism and algorithmic governance, have been almost absent The article advocates for continued critical inquiry into both new and established technologies to emphasise their embeddedness in everyday work, but also to include different sectors and new theoretical perspectives in future working life studies.