Employment Effects from Research and Innovation (Executive Summary)
Research project commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labor – Project number 20/03
Final report – Executive summary – May 2005
The research project „Employment Effects from Research and Innovation” addresses a current and thematically wide fanned-out problem field. Certainly, the analysis of the effect relationship between economic and technological development has been a subject of economic research for a long time, nevertheless some effect relationships are clarified only partly. Regarding this background the question is, to what extent can the economic location and technology location of Germany exist under the view of growth and employment, of substantial economic and political importance. Research and innovation and the development of new products, production procedures and organizational structures, which are a result of the research and innovation, play a central role. In connection with this, the following questions are to be answered: • How do, compared to other countries, research and innovation have an effect on growth, productivity and employment at national economic, sectoral and single plant level? • Which different employment effects result from product and process innovations? • Are productivity and qualification of the employees changed by research and innovation and which consequences for employment arise from it? • Is there a deficit with respect to invention or use of new advanced technologies in Germany?