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.
The Norwegian technology group Kongsberg Gruppen plans on hiring 150 employees, mainly at its headquarter in Kongsberg, due to increased demand within the air defense (components to the F-35 joint strike fighter), aerospace and maritime industries. More specifically, jobs for engineers and project managers will be created within the groups Kongsberg Maritime and Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace, in the areas of IT and security, software and electronics. The jobs will mainly be located in Kongsberg, but also in Horten and Asker. As of May 2018, there is no information on when the new jobs will be created.
After a period of severe downsizing in 2016 and 2017, the company describes this job creation process as positive news. There is no reference to the opinions of the trade unions on the matter. Kongsberg Gruppen states that they might hire people that worked in the company before the downsizing, assuming that they have the required skills.
Kongsberg Gruppen supplies high-technology products to customers in more than 25 countries and has about 6,700 employees.
Eurofound (2018), Kongsberg Gruppen, Business expansion in Norway, factsheet number 94154, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/94154.