Algorithmic management – measured in this report as whether employees are subject to the use of computer programs to monitor performance, allocate tasks and schedule work – is an important feature of workplace digitalisation. Drawing on Eurofound’s European Working Conditions Survey 2024, this report provides a snapshot of the prevalence of algorithmic management in European workplaces and investigates how it is reshaping work and affecting working conditions and employees’ well-being. The analysis shows that the use of algorithmic management varies significantly by sector and occupation. Employees subject to algorithmic management report higher job demands, especially quantitative demands (which indicate work intensity), and are more likely to experience job strain than employees who are not subject to algorithmic management. Among the three functions examined, performance monitoring is most strongly associated with poorer health and well-being outcomes and exacerbates the adverse effects of job strain in already strained jobs.
