The Evolution of Technological Space and Firms’ Workforce Composition in a Manufacturing Region

Abstract

T he developm ent of the technological space of a m anufacturing region relates to its hum an capital. H ow ever, the dynam ic relation betw een local firm s' w orkforce com position and their adoption of Industry 4.0 enabling technologies over tim e is still under investigated. T he paper contributes to filling this gap analysing the relation over 10 years betw een technology adoption and the occupational choices of 1800 firm s from one of the m ost industrialized regions of Italy: the V eneto R egion. T he results from descriptive as w ell as inferential analysis show that such relational dynam ics are a m ultifaceted phenom enon, presenting a series of counterintuitive features.