Effects of PCs on Job Quality

Questions:

C-9: Over the last five years, has your work become more interesting, less interesting, or stayed the same as a result of the introduction of computers or automated technology? (more interesting/less interesting/stayed the same)

C-11 Considering your experience, education and training, do you feel overqualified for your job? (yes/no)

C-2: Has new computer software been introduced into your job in the past 12 months? (yes/no)

C-3: Did you learn new skills in order to keep up with this change? (yes/no)

C-4: Has new computer hardware been introduced into your job in the past 12 months? (yes/no)

C-5: Did this upgrade require you to learn new skills? (yes/no)

B-16: Have any of the following things in your work environment caused you excess worry or stress in the past 12 months - having to learn new computer skills? (yes / no)

B-16: Have any of the following things in your work environment caused you excess worry or stress in the past 12 months - too many hours or too many demands? (yes / no)

B-12: How many hours do you usually work at all jobs? (x)

B-21: In the last month, how often did you use your HOME computer for work-related reasons? (every day / several times a week / a few times a month / not in the last month) [emphasis in original]

To determine if an employee was a low, medium or high intensity user of computers, respondents were asked about the frequency (never/rarely; sometimes; everyday) with which they used a PC, email and the internet at work. The respondents' frequency of use was given a value of 1 for 'never/rarely,' 2 for 'sometimes,' and 3 for 'everyday.' These values were then totaled for each respondent and ranged from a minimum of 3 (response of never/rarely for all three categories) to a high of 9 (response of everyday for all three categories). Those scoring 3 were defined as 'low intensity users,' those scoring between 4 and 6 were defined a s 'moderate intensity users,' and those scoring 7 or above were defined as 'high intensity users.'

Source: Statistics Canada General Social Survey (2000).

Notes: Statistics Canada's General Social Survey is an annual telephone survey. The questions in 2000 focussed on the use and impact of computer and Internet technology on Canadians. Data were collected over a 12-month period from January to December 2000 and included a representative sample of 25,090 respondents which included all persons 15 years of age and older in Canada, excluding residents of the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut; and full-time residents of institutions.