Technology and Employment : Innovation and Growth in the U.S. Economy

Will the adoption of new technologies by U.S. industry lead to widespread unemployment? Or will the resulting use of new processes and techniques, as well as the introduction of new products, open new opportunities for American workers? This volume studies the relationship of technology to employment and the effects of technological change on the workplace. The authors discuss the role of new technologies in strengthening U.S. international competitiveness, recommend initiatives for assisting displaced workers, and make recommendations to aid industry in developing and adopting the new technology it needs to compete successfully in the world economy. This report analyzes the contribution of technological change to employment and unemployment. An executive summary emphasizes the importance of technology to U.S. economic welfare and summarizes findings, options, and recommendations. Chapter 1, the introduction, tells of the effect of technological change on employment and presents the organization of the report. Chapter 2 describes the process of technological change. Chapter 3 discusses how technology, labor supply, and labor demand affect the impact of technological change on employment in an open economy. Chapter 4 considers the impact of technological change on employment, wages, and job skill requirements. The employment and economic status of entrants to the labor force and the employment prospects of women and minorities are discussed in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 examines the impacts of technology on the workplace. Chapter 7 discusses public and private policies that affect the adjustment of the economy and the labor force to technological change. Chapter 8 proposes several strategies for further research on technology, employment, and worker adjustment assistance programs and stresses the need to collect data on the diffusion of innovations and their effects on workers and the workplace. Chapter 9 contains the findings of the Panel on Technology and Employment, which developed this report. Chapter 10 presents policy recommendations that emphasize three broad initiatives: public policies to aid worker adjustment, public policies to support the development and application of advanced technologies, and improvements in labor-management cooperation in the adoption of new technologies. The report concludes with a 15-page bibliography. (YLB) This report addresses a number of issues that have surfaced in the debates over the impact of technological change on employment. These issues include the effects of technological change on levels of employment and unemployment within the economy; on the displacement of workers in specific industries or sectors of the economy; on skill requirements; on the welfare of women, minorities, and labor force entrants in a technologically transformed economy; and on the organization of the firm and the workplace. It concludes that technological change will contribute significantly to growth in employment opportunities and wages, although workers in specific occupations and industries may have to move among jobs and careers. Recommends initiatives and options to assist workers in making such transitions. ISBN 0-309-03744-1 (pbk.) Studies the relationship of technology to employment and the effects of technological change on the workplace. This book discusses the role of various technologies in strengthening US international competitiveness, recommends initiatives for assisting displaced workers, and more. Panel On Technology And Employment, Committee On Science, Engineering, And Public Policy [of The] National Academy Of Sciences, National Academy Of Engineering [and] Institute Of Medicine ; Richard M. Cyert And David C. Mowery, Editors. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 194-208.