Reports on changes that will affect the labor force and the workplace. Trends include (1) the crumbling skill base, (2) the shifting skill focus, (3) the shift from physical to mental labor, (4) technology management, and (5) avoidance of obsolescence. (CH)

A futurist addresses two questions concerning world peace and the implications of using robots. In the section on peace (part 1), recommendations for world peace include: (1) implementing peace education as a mandatory part of education; (2) establishing a Department of Peace in each country to create a societal infrastructure for implementing…

In 1987, a study was conducted within the Iowa Valley Community College District (IVCCD) to identify the responsibilities of secretaries at the time of the study and to project what their responsibilities would be in 10 years. The supervisor and the secretary at 864 businesses in the IVCCD were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the…

A look at the potential impact of high technology suggests that there may be a dim side to the popular view that high technology is the answer to America's educational and occupational problems. In reality, as technology advances continue, required job skills will decrease further. High technology will account for only 7 percent of all new jobs…

Implications for universities of high technology industries and the labor market are unclear. There is a need to ease the transition for those categories of workers who will be affected: women, low- and medium-skill workers in manufacturing, and certain categories of middle-level managers. The provision of highly qualified personnel is the…

During the next two decades, vocational education will face a major challenge to keep up to date with technology. National crises usually lead to new technologies. The United States today faces major problems in the areas of energy, productivity, and foreign trade. Solutions to these problems will generate new knowledge and technology that will…

This paper summarizes a comparative study of the impact of market and technological changes on human resources in banks and insurance companies in five countries: France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the United States. The research was organized around case studies of changes in 12 firms--9 banks and 3 insurance carriers. The paper discusses the…

Impacts from the major high technological changes now underway cut across all industrial sectors and most occupational clusters. Technological innovation can increase or decrease the total number of types of jobs. Decline in employment may be offset, however, by new applications and capabilities of goods and services or by employment shifts. While…