This book explores the global economic and social changes that will likely occur as continued technological advancements (especially in the field of computer science) reduce the number of workers needed to produce the goods and services needed by the global population. The book is divided into five sections. Section 1 presents an overview of the current technology revolution from the standpoint of its effect on employment and the global economy and examines two competing visions of technological progress. In section 2 the effects of early innovations in automation on the livelihoods of African-American workers and trade unionists are examined as possible harbingers of what lies ahead for service and white-collar workers and middle-class managers and professional employees throughout the world. Section 3 describes the technological and organizational changes now occurring in the agricultural, manufacturing, and service sectors. The effects of the "third industrial revolution" on the global labor force are traced in section 4. Section 5 proposes several practical steps for coping with productivity advances to mitigate the effects of mass technological displacement while reaping the rewards of the high-technology revolution. The bibliography contains 140 references. (MN)