Unemployement - The Unavoidable Consequence Of New Technolog
Technology – as defined by the US National Academy of Science (cited in Jones 1996, p.17) –
is a perishable resource comprising knowledge, skills, and the means
of using and controlling factors of production for the purpose of
producing, delivering to users, and maintaining goods and services,
for which there is an economic and/or social demand.
Ever since the Industrial Revolution (1780s), the impact of technology has been subject to public debate over its effect on employment – does it cause unemployment or does it underlie the huge increases in standards of living (Jones 1996, p.11)? While it is difficult to ascertain the relationship between technology and employment, all that can ...
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1990, p.52). To illustrate, the term “Luddite” was coined in the early 19th Century to describe mindless machine-breaking (Jones 1996, p.21). The Luddites were skilled cloth-weavers who believed that technology would destroy their livelihood and opportunities for work (Jones 1996, p.22). They were opposed not to the knitting and lace-making machines as such, but more to the “de-skilling” involved as these machines replaced workers which, inevitably led to the destruction of craft industries during this period (Jones 1996, p.24).
Historically though, the impact of technology has been to increase productivity in specific areas and in the long-term, “release” workers thereby, creating opportunities for work expansion in other areas (Mokyr 1990, p.34). The early 19th Century was marked by a rapid increase in employment on this basis: machinery transformed many workers from craftsmen to machine minders and although numbers fell relative to output – work was replaced by ...
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scale, there are stresses which are causing instability in the workforce (Smark 1997, p.47). Fewer people are required in many areas, greatly reducing the availability of work (Gill 1996, p.165). Consequently, when workers are displaced by new technology, there are substantial costs in retraining and educating them for other jobs (Gill 1996, p.167). One of the problems posed by rapidly changing technology then, is that people do not have the required skills to gain employment and although there may be jobs out there, the problem is not demand for labour, but the quality of labour supplied (Clark 1997, p.172). The opportunities for people being re-employed without the appropriate ...
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"Unemployement - The Unavoidable Consequence Of New Technolog." Essayworld.com. October 14, 2006. Accessed April 26, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Unemployement-The-Unavoidable-Consequence-New-Technolog/53907.
"Unemployement - The Unavoidable Consequence Of New Technolog." Essayworld.com. October 14, 2006. Accessed April 26, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Unemployement-The-Unavoidable-Consequence-New-Technolog/53907.
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