Drawing together the results of theoretical, quantitative and qualitative research on the global restructuring of employment in the Knowledge Economy from several different international research projects (including EMERGENCE, STILE and WORKS), this presentation looks at the restructuring of value chains at a global level and the implications for computing work both in terms of the location of employment and in terms of the quality of that employment. It looks in particular at the development of the “global sourcing” model and its implications for the career trajectories and working conditions of IT workers in the light of the interplay between growing requirements for standardization and control on the one hand and innovation and creativity on the other.

Key terms computing systems; keynote paper; mobile computing system work; work