13). In an alarmist tone, he argues that governments worldwide are fighting a losing battle to find jobs for millions displaced by the "technological revolution" and by corporate cost-cutting (Smark 1997, p.47). Says Rifkin (cited in Stewart 1996, p.13): .
technology is taking more jobs than it is creating, thus leading the world to.
catastrophic global unemployment.Traditional white and blue collar jobs .
are being lost to technology at a frightening rate. However, technology is only.
creating limited jobs for a small, elite core of scientists, computer programmers, .
consultants and entrepreneurs - this elite group being the "knowledge sector".
In confronting Rifkin's guess of a "society absent of mass formal employment", this is possible for while technology is rapidly changing and restructuring workplaces on a global scale, there are stresses which are causing instability in the workforce (Smark 1997, p.47). Fewer people are required in many areas, greatly reducing the availability of work (Gill 1996, p.165). Consequently, when workers are displaced by new technology, there are substantial costs in retraining and educating them for other jobs (Gill 1996, p.167). The opportunities for people being re-employed without the appropriate skills are minimal and subsequently, they fall on society for welfare, unemployment and retraining (Smark 1997, p.47). Are these the desired outcomes that flow from technological transitions with which society is confronted?.
For all that, perhaps the major turnaround in the nature of work, society, communication and personal experience has been the impact of computerized technology (Jones 1996, p.96). A computer may be defined as a "tool which converts data (raw material) into information (product) by following sets of programs (instructions)" (Jones 1996, p.98). Since the late 1970s, computing has become a transforming technology central to communications, manufacturing, medicine, research, administration, education, tourism and entertainment (Jones 1996, p.