bour market outcomes and must be incorporated into any analysis. In particular, welfare regimes and industri­al relations systems shape gender regimes at both the European level and within individual EU Member States. Their influence is crucial when evaluating the implica­tions of technological change for women’s employment trajectories. The second theme is gender employment and wage gaps amid technological change. While emerging tech­nologies reshape work and wages across all sectors of economy, research often focuses on Science, Technolo­gy, Engineering, and Mathematics(STEM) and manufac­turing, which are largely male-dominated sectors. Ser­vices or the health and care sector, which are female dominated, tend to be overlooked. Empirical studies largely address industrial robots, neglecting other types of technologies, including ­AI in health care, education and administration. Addressing these gaps is essential to ensure that technological progress supports rather than undermines gender equality in the labour market. The third theme is the relationship between automation technologies and occupational safety and health(OSH), with particular attention to how women may be subject to new risks. The health impacts of automation are rare­ly analysed through a gender-sensitive lens, despite evi­dence that women and men face distinct physical and psychological hazards as a result of differences in job roles, societal responsibilities and expectations. Gender bias in robotics and data-intensive technologies can ex­acerbate psychosocial risks in particular, whether through physical design, such as equipment tailored to the average male, or through algorithmic design based on unbalanced historical datasets. The fourth area of concern is the implications for an ageing workforce in the context of technological change. The demographic shift in Europe is giving rise to significant economic challenges, but no compre­hensive framework exists to address the dual pres­sures of extended working lives and persistent ageism. This applies in particular to older women, who repre­sent the fastest growing segment of the workforce. Older workers often face conflicting pressures. Along­side policies that promote prolonged employment they are also subject to workplace barriers and face pressures toward early retirement. Addressing these gaps is essential to ensure that technological and de­mographic transitions support age-inclusive and gen­der-inclusive labour market participation. Background Debates on the nature of technological progress and its impact on the economy and society are far from new (Schumpeter 1943). However, the 2013 study by Frey and Osborne brought these discussions back into focus, high­lighting that the emerging wave of technological innova­tions can drastically reshape the future of work. Their esti­mates suggested alarming rates of job losses as a result of automation over the next decade. Since then, the long-standing question posed by business leaders, policymakers, journalists and academics has fo­cused predominantly on the uncertainty surrounding the pace and scale of the rollout of automation technologies. However, in efforts to grasp the vast changes across the economy and society, especially because of the predicted ‘technological unemployment’(Keynes 1930), little con ­sideration has been paid to the gendered impact of auto­mation, including how technological changes may dis­proportionately affect women’s participation in the la­bour market and perpetuate existing inequalities. Automation in the workplace While automation itself is not a recent phenomenon, the form of automation that relies on AI systems, robotics, and algorithmic management is relatively new. The Industrial Revolution was a major turning point for industrial automa­tion. Machines such as the‘spinning jenny’ and the power loom replaced manual labour with mechanised production. Another key moment in automation was Henry Ford’s as­sembly line, which made manufacturing more efficient by breaking up tasks into simple, repetitive steps(Sanka 2023). Today, automation involves a wide range of technologies, ranging from robotics and artificial intelligence to soft­ware and interconnected devices, to perform tasks previ­ously carried out by humans, encompassing both physical and cognitive functions. Advanced robotics can further transform manufacturing or warehousing, while AI and ­algorithmic systems are expected to intensify automation across sectors such as health care, education and finance. The main difference in comparison to previous waves of automation is that machines – both hardware- and/or software-based – are becoming more autonomous and are able to‘learn’ for the first time(Khogali and Mekid 2023). Although automation is anticipated to significantly impact employment and economic structures, it may also present opportunities to create new roles, minimise hazardous work and enhance overall quality of life. Many experts ar­gue that, consistent with historical trends since the Indus­trial Revolution, each wave of automation will inevitably displace certain jobs, while simultaneously increasing the complexity of tasks and evolving job roles. It is claimed that this will allow many workers to focus on more strate­gic and creative responsibilities while reducing the time spent on manual, administrative, or repetitive work. In terms of the current functioning of the economy, pro­duction and labour, the process of automation tends to 4 Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V.