Drawing from literature on technological advances, economic trends, and employment and labor market projections, this paper provides an overview of trends and their implications for California. After briefly analyzing the characteristics and effects of the information age, the paper examines the growth and development of high technology industries; emerging technologies with immediate or near-term applications; the commercialization of new technologies; and the role of science and technology in economic development. The next section looks at employment trends, highlighting the effects of increasing global interdependence, workforce projections, and regional variation. Summary comments project the following: (1) developing technology will affect how work is performed but contribute little to total job growth; (2) overall income distribution is likely to flatten in the middle range and rise in high and low ranges; (3) economic change will occur rapidly, but unevenly, resulting in frequent worker displacement, and business starts and failures; (4) growth of high technology industries will be related to commercialization of products, with information processing technology growing faster than alternative energy or biochemical technology; (5) American and California output will largely depend on advantageous technical development, improved educational and training systems, increased productivity, and commercial diversity; and (6) global interdependence will continue to affect trade balances, monetary values, employment, and wages. (LAL)