Human Capital in the Digital Economy: The Impact of Technology on the Labor Market in Agriculture and Logistics

Abstract

The digital economy affects the success of the
agricultural and logistics industry, however, the adoption of
computer technology differs in these sectors, although they are
interconnected. Another aspect is the impact of information
technology on personal potential and the influence of employees’
qualifications on the success of innovation. The aim of our study
was to determine the mutual influence of digitalization and
human capital by survey analysis of workers of agricultural and
logistics companies. The methods of analysis, synthesis, survey,
statistical, graphical, and abstract and logical comparison were
used in the research. An online survey was conducted of 1460
employees of the agricultural sector and logistics companies,
who were divided into groups depending on their professional
qualifications. The survey results were compared using the ttest. A higher level of awareness of information technologies and
their practical use was identified among employees of logistics
companies. Moreover, medium-level managers and company
executives had a high level of knowledge and skills in working
with digital technologies, while drivers, loaders, and lower-level
workers had a lower than average level of skills. Among
agricultural workers, there was a low level of awareness of
information technology, and among the types of innovations,
respondents mostly mentioned simple sensors for irrigation, soil
temperature and moisture control. In contrast, the level of
information technology skills among medium-level managers
was above average and the highest among all agricultural
workers. However, the information technologies of this group
were used for logistics, financial, analytical operations,
marketing, and communications. Managers of agricultural
enterprises rated their digitalization skills below average, which
was the main reason for the low implementation of innovations
in agricultural processes in the agricultural sector.