Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
Airbus Group SE has announced a reduction of its current workforce by 470 positions in France in the framework of a larger restructuring affecting the EU with a total of 3,700 job cuts. Airbus needs to reduce the production of two models facing difficulties: the superjumbo A380 and the A400 military plane. The demand for the A480 remains weak and the company announced deliveries would fall to six a year from 2020, down from an anticipated 12 deliveries this year. The A400M programme has been hit by delays and cost overruns. Deliveries of the military plane will fall from 15 this year to eight in 2020. The management has announced to avoid any forced dismissal and estimates able to set up reemployment measures within the company to mitigate the number of job cuts. Previous annoucement of job reductions within the group Airbus in France recorded 546 job cuts in June 2017 and 582 job cuts by Airbus Helicopters announced in October 2016.
Eurofound (2018), Airbus, Internal restructuring in France, factsheet number 94730, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/94730.