Algorithms Deciding Employment Fate: Automated Hiring and Firing Processes

Algorithms Deciding Employment Fate: Automated Hiring and Firing Processes

Workers Around the World Ponder the Implications of Algorithmic Hiring Practices

Ponder, for a moment, whether a machine would have been the one to offer you your current job. Take a brief mental trip through your financial records, your medical history, your social media connections, and your personal preferences. Would you have been hired, fired, reprimanded, or promoted based on this data?

This may seem like a curious query, but it is one that provokes thought as the practice of "management by algorithm" gains traction globally. As more and more worker data is utilized in HR processes, the need for regulations to safeguard against misuse becomes increasingly apparent, particularly outside of Europe where such regulations are limited. Trade unions are stepping up to address this void and champion workers' data rights as a means of holding both management and governments accountable.

Are you among those who might face potential employment repercussions due to union membership, social connections, or personal characteristics that an algorithm has been programmed to reject?

Understanding Data's Dominant Role

From our social media profiles and online activities to our phone calls, doctor visits, GPS usage, and bank transactions, we continuously generate data. We often consent to giving away our personal information in exchange for free digital services, little realizing that we are actually paying with our data.

The use of algorithms, data, and artificial intelligence (AI) in human resources and productivity planning is on the rise, prompting new concerns regarding potential misuse. Firms are increasingly turning to AI solutions to cut labor costs through automated sorting of job applicants, evaluating productivity, employee mood testing, and analyzing individual motivations.

The Union Response

In the face of these developments, action is required. Unions must work collectively, forge alliances, and stake a claim to a share of the data wealth while demanding regulatory protections for workers' data rights. Push for change should occur at multiple levels, from collective agreements to national and international legislation. Collaboration with international organizations, governments, social partners, and corporations themselves is also vital.

While public attention has focused on the use of data to target and manipulate voters in elections like the US and Brexit results, little scrutiny has been afforded to the use of data in relation to employment. It is high time for unions to take a stand against the concentration of data ownership and assert the idea that data should be a public good accessible to all.

The Digital World of Work: Empowering or Excluding?

As digital technologies continue to develop rapidly, the ethical demands placed upon them must be clear. Unions must ensure that people are not precluded from the labor market due to an algorithmic decision-making process that is beyond human control and comprehension. The aspiration for a digital world of work that is empowering, inclusive, and accessible to all can only be achieved with collective ownership of data, ethical AI, and strong worker data rights.

UNI Global Union is actively addressing these issues on a global scale, engaging in discussions about how unions can harness the potential of datasets for their benefit. They are advocating against the monopolization of data ownership, questioning whether data should be considered a commons, and pushing for both the protection of fundamental rights and collective ownership of data.

The organization has published two key documents outlining essential demands to prevent a future in which workers are subjected to algorithmic decision-making processes that are beyond human control and understanding. These documents include the "Top Ten Principles of Workers' Data Privacy and Protection" and the "Top Ten Principles of Ethical AI." By advocating for these principles and compelling both management and governments to take responsibility, unions hope to create a more equitable digital world of work.

1. The data generated through our social media, phone calls, medical history, and financial transactions are increasingly used in HR processes, prompting concerns over potential misuse.
2. As more workplaces adopt AI solutions for hiring, productivity evaluation, and mood analysis, the necessity of safeguarding workers' data rights becomes increasingly apparent.
3. Unions, recognizing the growing impact of data and AI in the industry, are advocating for a share of data wealth and regulations to protect workers' data rights.
4. The union's efforts involve collaborating with international organizations, governments, social partners, and corporations to address the potential misuse of data in employment.
5. Unions argue that data should be considered a public good, accessible to all, and are pushing for collective ownership of data to ensure fairness in the digital era.
6. To create an empowering, inclusive, and accessible digital world of work, unions are advocating for ethical AI, collective data ownership, and strong worker data rights.
7. UNI Global Union is actively engaging in discussions to explore how unions can leverage datasets while preventing data monopolization and advocating for principles such as workers' data privacy, protection, and ethical AI.

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