DIGITALISATION OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMY: ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES

Abstract

The article examines the positive effects and negative consequences of the digital transformation of the national economy in terms of waves of technological progress and the spread of innovation. It is determined that the development of the digital economy is the most obvious result of the wave-like nature of digitalization. A three-sector model of the digital economy is proposed, where the primary sector is its core and includes fundamental innovations (semiconductors, microprocessors), basic technologies (computers, telecommunications devices), stimulating infrastructure (Internet and telecommunications networks); the secondary sector includes services based on basic digital technologies, including digital platforms, mobile applications, and electronic payment systems; tertiary – a digital economy based on a wide range of digital products and services, including e-commerce and new activities or business models that are transformed as a result of digital technologies. A system of indicators has been formed that provides a quantitative interpretation of the economic and social consequences of the process of the digital transformation of the national economy. Such an assessment will help to understand the potential impact of digital transformation on economic growth, which is often uneven, both within the country and between countries with different levels of socio-economic development. This impact was considered in several parameters, including labor productivity, gross domestic product, value-added, employment, as well as for various components of the digital economy. Emphasis is placed on the fact that the net impact on the overall economy is difficult to assess mainly due to the imperfection of existing methods of assessing the digital economy. It was found that the most threatening consequences of the digital transformation are labor displacement, as the exponential change in technology leads to the use of robots, autonomous vehicles, sensors, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, changing the workflow towards greater flexibility with the predominant use of temporary labor. The types of work organizations that are likely to be part of the working ecosystem for at least the next 10 years are described.