Occupation Insecurity Scale (OCIS)

Robotic process automation is replacing tasks and jobs in various industries, including finance and accounting. Autonomous vehicles may replace human drivers in the transportation industry. Traditional manufacturing methods are being replaced by 3D printing, leading to changes in the associated occupations. Self-checkout kiosks in stores are replacing cashiers, and virtual assistants and customer service chatbots are replacing human customer service representatives...

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The list of changes technological advancements could bring about is virtually endless. The potential creation and elimination of jobs due to technology can lead to a feeling of ‘occupation insecurity’- ‘the fear that one may not be able to remain employed in their current occupation or that their occupation will significantly change in the future due to technology’. On this website, you can find a validated scale to measure occupation insecurity in multiple languages. 

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Difference between a ‘job’ and an ‘occupation’: Why is the concept called occupation insecurity?

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An occupation is a job or career that requires specific skills and knowledge. When an occupation disappears, it means that the entire line of work is no longer available. For example, if a server at a restaurant loses their job, they may be able to find a similar position at another restaurant. However, if automation causes the occupation of restaurant servers to disappear, the person may not be able to work in that field again and will need to learn a new occupation.

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The two dimensions of occupation insecurity

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Occupation insecurity can be broken down into two subdimensions: global occupational insecurity, which pertains to the fear of an entire occupation disappearing, and content occupational insecurity, which refers to the worry that one's tasks and responsibilities may significantly change.

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An example of global occupational insecurity would be a person who works as a travel agent and is worried that their occupation will disappear due to the increasing popularity of online travel booking websites.

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An example of content occupational insecurity would be a person who works in a manufacturing plant and is worried that their tasks and responsibilities will change significantly due to the implementation of automation technology.

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Using the occupation insecurity scale (OCIS)

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We hope that the scale will be useful for your research. We would gladly like to hear back from you regarding your research efforts and findings. You can find our contact details on this website.