The relationship between human resources and information and communication technologies: Spanish firm-level evidence

Increased attention to the economic impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) underscores the impact of ICT on the social side of the “digital divide.” ICT and individual and organizational changes are often closely related. This paper examines the main characteristics of the relationship between ICT and human resources in Spanish firms, in the context of a developed country with an incidence-rate of ICT slightly below the average of its area. The data on 1,269 Spanish manufacturing firms has been taken from the Survey of Business Strategies (SBS) of the Fundación Empresa Pública (Spanish Foundation) of Spain. Our results suggest that ICT are related to higher levels of qualification, higher levels of R&D workers, and higher levels of training per worker. Moreover, firms that invest in ICT offer higher levels of average wages. These results confirm the relationship between technological innovation, and organizational and human changes. Managers and public administrators should take into account such mutual interrelations in order to optimize their decisions concerning investment in human and technological resources.