Original scientific paper
New Technologies and Employment
Fikreta Bahtijarević-Šiber
; Faculty of Economics, Zagreb
Abstract
The article deals with three viewpoints usually referred to concerning the impact of new technology development on employment: the pessimistic one according to which new technologies lead not only to unemployment, but also to the dequalification and the depersonalization of the employed; the compensational one which anticipates the restructuring of the needs for labour without having any effects on employment globally; and finally, the optimistic viewpoint anticipating the overall growth of employment through the development of new productive branches together with the advance of the levels of knowledge, education, creativity etc. The pessimistic standpoint appears to be plausible when particular branches and activities are concerned, while in the case of technologically the most developed countries, the development of new branches gives good grounds not only for the compensational, but for the optimistic standpoint as well. However, technological development does not directly determine the mode and extent of employment. Their relationship is essentially mediated by the stage of economic development in general, by the social goals and the institutions of the society. The social changes without which technology cannot produce any positive effects are the following: (1) knowledge and information as the basic resource and product, (2) mass creativity, (3) the exponential growth of the production of material goods and the development of human capability, (4) constant expansion of »service trades«, (5) changes in the social structure and the bases of stratification. All this is connected with the redistribution of labour in global proportions. Therefore, the Yugoslav society is in great need of an overall transformation of economic and social organization.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
155556
URI
Publication date:
31.12.1988.
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