PhD defence – Anna-Lena Wittich

On Friday, 24 April 2026, Anna Wittich successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled:

“Shaping Human Capital and Work Practices in a Changing Labor Market”

This thesis investigates how perceptions and information shape workers' behaviour in a labour market transformed by automation and digitalisation. It combines one observational study and three randomised experiments to examine two related challenges: how workers invest in skills in response to technological change, and how digital work practices affect productivity and well-being.

The first part of the thesis shows that workers’ own perceptions of automation risk play a key role in their decision to participate in training. It also tests whether providing workers with information can encourage training. Results suggest that such information only increases training intentions when workers find it personally relevant. The second part examines whether low-cost behavioural interventions in a public administration setting can improve digital communication habits such as email use and meeting frequency. The study finds that the intervention reduced excessive meetings and lowered sickness-related absence, pointing to positive effects on productivity and well-being.

Supervisors: Dr. Raymond Montizaan, Dr. Annemarie Künn-Nelen

Click here for the full thesis.