The End of Work

Ever since the 1960's, economists and politicians have discussed the possibility that technological leaps may render factory workers obsolete. Now, as decision-makers blame outsourcing to countries like China for a decline in European (and American) jobs, labor expert Jeremy Rifkin writes that their accusations may be misplaced. The spread of automation to service-sector industries, and resultant leaps in productivity, add up to a different conclusoin: The jobs have not moved; they've disappeared altogether. As a result, says Rifkin, the appropriate policy response to unemployment is not to blame companies that employ people overseas. "Ultimately," he concludes, "we have to explore bold new approaches to addressing the problems created by the phenomenon of the disappearance of mass labor." – YaleGlobal