A
new report published by the DTI's Future Unit ,"Work
in the Knowledge-Driven Economy", http://www.dti.gov.uk/future-unit/complete/index.html
takes a look at what work might be like in 15 years' time and concludes
that for many in this generation, the world of work will be very different
to that of their parents.
The report envisages that:
- the
move from manufacturing to service sector jobs and from blue collar
to white collar jobs will continue
- white
collar clerical work will decline whilst highly skilled knowledge-based
jobs will grow
- service
sector employment will become increasingly important as the "human
touch" will be difficult to replicate with machines
- teleworking
could grow substantially and many companies will be able to take
advantage of different time zones to compress three working days
into one.
In
his book Ideas for the New Millennium, Ellyard outlines what he considers
are the areas of job growth in the future. Some of these are starting
to emerge today. He believes that the future will bring the creation
of new products, services and technologies, due to the advent of four
great revolutions of our time:
- Information
Technology and the associated areas of Knowledge Technology and
Wisdom Technology- "Mindware" will be as important as
"software"
- Biotechnology
- with advances in agriculture, medicine, mining and environmental
protection
- Advanced
material technologies
- Miniaturised
systems, such as Microtechnology.
