Executive Summary

LABOR DAY 1999A REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ALEXIS M. HERMAN, SECRETARY 

Trends and Cha l lenges for Work in the 21st Centur y

futurework
e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y futurework 1

s the best place to gain a glimpse of 

uture of work is in the newspaper. Not 

ont page—but the want ads. 

 decades ago, employers were in search

switchboard operators, mimeograph

hnicians, keypunchers and elevator 

Newspapers even had separate job list

men and women. 

y’s want ads are seeking Webmasters.

ators. Desktop publishers. And many

s no longer turn to the want ad pages

 Web pages. They find their jobs on the

few decades ago, business magazines cel

e latest office technology—cutting edge

t such as electric typewriters and dicta

Today, it is more like digital phones and

igital assistants. 

e living in a world few could have 

50 years ago. What will the workforce

place look like half a century from now?

an begin to tackle that question by 

g where we have been, where we are, and

are going. That is what futurework:

 challenges for work in the 21st century

o. 

esigned to inform readers—policy

holars, employers, workers, trade

and advocates—to provoke questions

mulate dialogue. 

ework also recognizes that even though

ebrating the last Labor Day of the 

century, the twenty-first century work

ready here. 

We are living in a new economy—powered by

technology, fueled by information, and driven byknowledge. And we are entering the new centurywith opportunity on our side. 

The American economy is the strongest in a

generation—perhaps in history. Unemployment isat a 30-year low. We have created more than 19 million jobs since President Clinton and VicePresident Gore entered office. The sea of budgetred ink has been turned to black. Wages are up,productivity is rising, and inflation is in check.

futurejobs:some of the fastest growing occupations for the future■ Computer 

engineers

■ Computer support 

specialists

■ Database administrators■ Data processing 

equipment repairs

■ Dental hygienists■ Desktop publishing 

specialists

■ Medical assistants■ Paralegals■ Personal care 

and health aides

■ Physician assistants■ Residential counselors■ Securities and 

financial sales workers

■ System analysts
Globa

Increathe typplaces,demanalizatiomore oexportSTABWorkiin the economfor theforce w■ The 

new ecopen mto the supply

■ The 

emploglobal opport

2 futurework e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y

But amidst this prosperity comes concern.

Families are working harder. Parents are stretchedfor time. According to Bureau of Labor Statisticsdata, real wages fell through the 1980s and early1990s, and just recently recovered their averagevalue from 1980. Some Americans have not beenbrought into the workforce. And workers youngand old wonder whether they have the skills to stayahead in the workplace of the future.

Even in today’s dynamic economy, there are

some things that remain important. There are threepillars providing stability in workers’ lives: 

■ Rising economic security over a lifetime—so a

worker can have food on the table, a roof overhead, health care when needed, and a secureincome for retirement.

■ A work and family balance—the resources and

the time to enjoy family life and meet the needs ofchildren and aging parents.

■ Workplaces that are safe and fair—free from

health hazards and from discrimination and otherunfair employment practices.

The ability of workers to meet these needs will

be substantially determined by major changes inthe workplace and workforce of today andtomorrow. These changes include:

DiversityBy 2050, the U.S. population is expected to increaseby 50 percent, and minority groups will make upnearly half the population. Immigration willaccount for almost two-thirds of the nation’s population growth. The population of older Americans isexpected to more than double. One-quarter of allAmericans will be of Hispanic origin. Almost one inten Americans will be of Asian or Pacific Islanderdescent. And more women and people with disabilities will be on the job. TechnologyThe use of computers and the Internet in workplaces will become more pervasive and thefunctions performed using computers will dramatically increase. The influence of technology will gobeyond new equipment and faster communications, as work and skills will be redefined andreorganized. 

White 73.6Black 12.0Hispanic origin 10.2 (may include members of any race)Asian and Pacific Islander 3.3American Indian 0.7

White 52.8Hispanic origin 24.5 (may include members of any race)Black 13.6Asian and Pacific Islander 8.2American Indian 0.9

acts:

in population

■ R

esa

■

Afa

■

Wtha ( 
e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y futurework 3

tion

global competition will continue to affect

f work being done in American work

ating new high-skilled jobs and lessening

or low-skilled work. The impact of glob

n all Americans will continue to grow as

he economy is involved in producing

 competing with imports. 

TY + CHANGE = ?

amilies will continue to pursue stability

dst of these dynamic changes in the

and population. Three major challenges

enty-first century workplace and work

result: 

llenge of being skilled, not stuck in the

omy—as technology and globalization

e opportunities for those who have access

s to build their skills, but reduce the

lower-end jobs.

llenge of flexibility and family—as

 seek more flexibility to compete in the

rketplace and workers pursue more

ties to spend time with their loved ones.

■ The challenge of destiny and diversity—as

employers hire from a more diverse pool of workersin the future, creating new opportunities for economic growth but also raising the potential forpersistent discrimination and inequality.

Futurework will outline these challenges in

broad strokes. This executive summary is an introduction.

SKILLED, NOT STUCK Our nation is enjoying high rates of productivitygrowth thanks in large measure to technologicalinnovation. As that trend continues, it will lead tohigher incomes and improved standards of living—helping more Americans meet the need foreconomic security.

During the Clinton–Gore administration, more

than 19 million new jobs have been created—a rateof growth more than twice that of the previousdecade. High-technology industries account for onemillion of these new jobs. E-commerce generated$300 billion in revenues last year—approaching thesize of the automobile industry. 

Real average wages in the high-tech industries

increased 19 percent since 1990, compared with a5 percent average increase for the private sector as awhole. The average high-tech job pays 78 percentmore than the average non–high-tech job—$53,000 compared to $30,000. 

Even for those workers who do not sit in front

of a computer or program a robot, more and bettertechnology can mean higher productivity andhigher wages.

Technology also has fundamentally changed

work as we know it. For instance, assistive technology has opened new opportunities for peoplewith disabilities. From large screen monitors to

mic 

y over 

me 

k and 

balance

aces 

e safe 

r 

) ( ) ■ The challenge of being skilled not stuck in the new economy

■ The challenge

of flexibility and family

■ The challenge 

of destiny and diversity

+ = ?
highes

degreethat refast as 

In

38 peruate. workefalling

Re

educat20 yeaseen thper wehigh-sc(from 

Tw

enter csame owith drate acago. Thave ndouble

In

graduawhitespercenhighes90 perlower—fastest 

M

HispanAmeri

4 futurework e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y

voice recognition software to alternative keyboardsand telecommunications systems, technology isremoving barriers for people with disabilities.

But technology combined with rising globalization is also presenting new challenges. As the

number of high-paying jobs increases, well-paid,low-skilled jobs are becoming harder to find.Globalization has made it easier for businesses to

choose low-skilled workers at lower pay in otherparts of the world. And technology has renderedmany jobs obsolete here at home. 

New economy, new challengeAll of these factors have contributed to risinginequality in the U.S. labor market. From the late1970s through the mid-1990s, the gap in earningsbetween the top and bottom wage earners grewsubstantially. 

Though the trend of rising inequality that we

experienced for almost two decades finally began toreverse during the late 1990s, the current earningsgap remains much larger than it was 20 years ago.The top 10 percent of full-time workers nowaverage almost $1200 per week in earnings whilethe bottom 10 percent average only $275. Andaccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the realearnings of men in the bottom group fell by 22percent during this period.

Some middle-aged workers are losing the security they once had. During the first half of the

1990s, the job tenure of older male workersdeclined. Displaced workers with more educationfared considerably better than their less-educatedcounterparts. 

Workers who want to climb higher, need skills

and training to do it. Skills are the ticketIn the information-based, skills-intensive economyof the twenty-first century, one thing is clear:knowing means growing. 

While many workers will continue to be in

occupations that do not require a bachelor’s degree,the best jobs will be those requiring education andtraining. In fact, the 20 occupations with the

he working poor?

million working Americans were living in poverty in

e-quarter of those worked full-time, year round.

cent of the working poor are women—and minority

ore than twice as likely to be poor as white women.

on poor workers were in families with children

en percent of people with significant disabilities

me fall below the poverty rate.

ccupations with the 

arnings

ts and 

ers

ngineers

■ Physicists and astronomers■ Engineering, natural science, and computer and information

systems managers

■ Optometrists■ Aerospace engineers
college attendance. This means that these minority

groups lack access to many of the skills that highereducation provides. 

For the three out of four American workers

who do not have a bachelor’s degree, skills stillplay an important role. While most of the fastestgrowing jobs will require a college degree, themajority of jobs being created today—from homehealth aides to desktop publishers—require lessthan an associate’s degree, but often require otherskills. Lifelong learning for workers will becomemore important as a result. 

e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y futurework 5

rnings all require at least a bachelor’s

hroughout the economy, occupations

re a college degree are growing twice as

ers. 

79, the average college graduate earned

t more than the average high-school grad

ay, it is 71 percent. Less-educated

f all racial groups—particularly men—are

hind in earnings. 

wages for men without post-secondary

have declined significantly over the past

Men with only a high-school degree have

wages fall by nearly one-fifth (from $679

o $559) while wages of men without a

ol diploma have fallen by nearly one-third

5 per week to $383) since 1979. 

out of three high-school graduates will

ege this fall. But not everyone has the

ortunity. Fewer than 10 percent of adults

ilities have graduated from college—a

ved by the general population 30 years

percent of adults with disabilities who

ompleted high school is more than

at of adults without disabilities.

97, for the first time ever, the high-school

n rates for young African-Americans and

re statistically on par at 86 percent and 88

espectively. Asian-Americans have the

gh-school graduation rate—more than 

t. High school completion rates were far

2 percent—for young Hispanics, the

wing segment of the population. 

African-Americans, whites, and

are attending college. However, African

s and Hispanics continue to lag behind in

futurefacts:weekly earnings by education

1979 1998

$1000

$800$600$400$200

0

Dollars

■ Less than a high school diploma ■ Some college or associate degree■ High-school graduates, no college

■ College graduates, total

Usual weekly earnings for full-time worker 25 and over (1998 dollars)

$462

$337

$479

$558

$821

$548

$621

$758
Hispan

percenUnionthan ntheir hfound high-ppercenFLEXFor thand Hthey wdoes nwomenneitheThe tiworkinyears—familie

W

with fafor thebabysiwith thattendappoinvital ch

In

househfriend percennext fi

6 futurework e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y

Skills include cognitive (hard) skills and communication (soft) skills as well as education credentials

and job-related skills. In many instances, there is amismatch between the skills jobs require and thosethat applicants possess. More than 20 percent ofadults read at or below the fifth-grade level. 

A 1996 American Management Association

survey of mid-size and larger businesses found that19 percent of the job applicants taking employeradministered tests lacked the math and reading skillsnecessary for the jobs for which they were applying.That percentage increased to almost 36 percent in1998—probably reflecting tighter labor markets andthe rapidly rising demand for skills.

America does not face a worker shortage 

but a skills shortage. The challenge is to invest inthe workers who are already participating in theworkforce, and to identify and tap into untappedlabor pools. 

Prepared not “jobsolete”Whether it is by empowering workers with cuttingedge high-tech skills, providing downsized workerswith transition assistance, or helping young peopleget a foothold on the career ladder—our fundamental challenge is equipping all Americans withthe tools to succeed in this new economy. We needto make sure no worker becomes “jobsolete.”

The demand for skills is bringing about

changes in the way some unions and employersengage in collective bargaining. Technology, andthe skills needed to master it, are taking theirrightful place on the negotiating table. In someindustries, such as telecommunications, the issue isnot job security, but employment security and providing incumbent workers with education andtraining opportunities to gain the skills they needto stay ahead in the changing workplace.

Regardless of his or her skill level, it is essential to make work pay for every worker. No one

who works full time should live in poverty.Raising the minimum wage and expanding theEarned Income Tax Credit are two policies thathave helped make work pay.

Collective bargaining historically also has

played an important role. In 1998, unionizedworkers overall earned nearly one-third more thannonunion workers and were more likely to earnhealth and pension benefits. African-Americanunion workers earned 45 percent more thannonunionized African-Americans. Unionized

acts:

nd higher wages

Union Nonunion

ly earnings for full-time workers

$499

$573

$430 $398

$350

$699

$596 $578

$540

■ Total■ Men■ Women■ Black■ Hispanic
e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y futurework 7

made more than half again as much—54

as their nonunion counterparts.

 workers typically have higher skill levels

union workers, which also contributes to

er wages. In addition, a 1997 study

t productivity in unionized firms with

ormance work practices was about 10

gher than in comparable nonunion firms. 

LITY AND FAMILY

st majority of working families, Ozzie

et are demographic dinosaurs. For others,

always a myth. Today, Harriet usually

tay home. Nearly three out of four

th children are in the workforce. Often,

zzie nor Harriet get home by 5:00 p.m.

that married women with children spend

utside the home nearly doubled in 30

nslating into 22 fewer hours per week

an spend with their children.

ers seeking to balance sufficient earnings

y time are stretched. They are searching

me and flexibility to be there when the

doesn’t show. To make arrangements

aregivers for their aging parents. To

 parent-teacher conference or the doctor’s

ent. And as we look to the future, the

enge of child care and elder care will grow. 

96, almost 20 percent of American

s provided informal care to a relative or

50 or older. Futurework finds that this

e is estimated to more than double in the

years.

futuretime:the real workday5:30 a.m. get up/get dressed/exercise6:30 a.m. make: breakfast, school lunches, grocery list7:30 a.m. get kids up, dressed, and fed8:00 a.m. drop off kids and dry cleaning9:00 a.m. on the job . . . 12 e-mail messages waiting for reply1:30 p.m. meeting at daycare center (your child is biting!)2:30 p.m. back on the job . . . 8 voice-mails waiting5:00 p.m. forward office calls to cell phone5:30 p.m. pick up child from school aftercare6:05 p.m. pick up other child, pay late pickup fee at day care7:00 p.m. make dinner8:00 p.m. do: dishes, homework, laundry8:30 p.m. bathe kids9:00 p.m. read work memos to kids as bedtime story9:30 p.m. fold laundry/fall asleepEvery day, more working parents are “buying time”—hiring others to perform household services like lawn care, child care,and housekeeping. And it is not just the higher wage workers that are buying. A California agency lists a plumber, a pizza parlormanager, and a cashier among its clients for child care anddomestic help.
more t

meet fsense omail, edo we interacWhat “Just Workeilies. Ein the 

O

arrangan emfits, troften gdiffere

In

a schedfinds tarrangThe agto “jusbusinemome

Ro

arrangsome f

Am

and arare ind(1.3 mnumbe

8 futurework e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y

Combined with the responsibilities of child

care, these obligations add up. So do the costs toemployers. Family caregiving costs the economymore than $11 billion in lost production each year.As baby boomers grow older, and life expectancyrises, more Americans will find themselves “sandwiched”—caring at the same time for their childrenand their aging parents. While women in particularare affected by this phenomenon, they are by nomeans alone in the “sandwich generation.” 

In the twenty-first century workforce and

workplace, there will be no such thing as “women’sissues.” As futurework shows, these are workingfamily issues. Men and women will share equallyin the challenges of managing family and worktime. This new mindset will dramatically affect theway we work and the way we view work in thetwenty-first century.

Technology: the virtual office never closesThe good news is that technology is allowingworkers to take the office everywhere. That’s thebad news, too. With e-mail, pagers, laptop computers, and mobile phones, work is no longerconfined to one setting, it is pervasive. The virtualoffice never closes, opening the potential for abuse ifemployers require homework above and beyond thenormal working hours. We need to make sure thatworkers use technology—not the other way around. 

Technology can give workers flexibility, but

access presents another big challenge. 

The home office is becoming more commonplace. Half of all homes had a personal computer

in 1999. But even though the Internet can beaccessed anywhere, not all Americans have equalaccess to the Internet. As information technologyexpands, the information divide continues towiden. 

A July 1999 Commerce Department report

found that between 1997 and 1998, the gap inInternet access between those at the highest andlowest income levels grew by 29 percent. Whitesare more likely to have access from home than areAfrican-Americans or Hispanics from any location.

As technology continues to spread, questions

emerge: What are we losing as a society? What isthe effect on social relations? Work, after all, is

emps:

y girl to kelly chemist

ell Kelly began a business that became Kelly Girls

Nearly 100 percent of its revenues came from 

ries and clericals in temporary jobs. Today, as Kelly

the firm comprises a range of temporary help, 

sing and contracting companies in 19 countries. 

hly 20 percent of its revenue was generated by 

nd technical placements including biologists, lawyers, 

hemists, and computer analysts.

ffice:

vey, more than 100 engineers were asked to

ng current technology—the workplace of the future.

ns:

eyboards and voice-activated data input/retrieval

ng from home using teleconferencing and e-mail

ip control and less brute force

rkplaces friendlier to the environment
e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y futurework 9

 just a job or paycheck. It is where we

ds, share ideas, and build a common

urpose and a social network. With voice

ail, and computer networks, how 

serve the human network and the social

n that work has helped to facilitate?

es its place?

me” workers

want a greater ability to care for their fam

ployers want greater flexibility to compete

bal market. 

esult is that the traditional work 

ent—a full-time, year-round job where 

yer usually provides a worker with bene

ng, and/or a pension upon retirement—is

ng way to something fundamentally 

dition to the traditional way of modifying

 through part-time work, futurework

millions of workers are in alternative

ents that don’t fit the traditional model.

f “just in time” production has given rise

 time” workers—employees whom a

an hire on a moment’s notice to fill a

need. 

hly 1 in 10 workers fits into an alternative

nt. Nearly four out of five employers use

m of nontraditional staffing arrangement. 

ca’s alternative workers number 13 million

mixed group. The majority (8.5 million)

ndent contractors. A growing number

n) are agency temporary workers. The

f agency temps increased by 10 percent

from 1995 to 1997, considerably faster than the 2.8percent growth in traditional employment.

For many employers, these arrangements make

sense. They can be less costly, and heightenemployers’ ability to respond to market forces.Workers, too, may be attracted to the mobility andchoice associated with nontraditional jobs. In somecases, these arrangements may provide the flexibilitythey need to juggle work and family obligations.For example, slightly more than half of womenindependent contractors combined their workingarrangement with their work at home raising children. Roughly one in four independentcontractors worked part-time compared to one-infive traditional workers. 

Full-time, independent contractors earned

more than average traditional workers, but agencytemp workers earned less. Agency temps’ averageweekly earnings ($329) are the lowest of all nontra

futurejobs: alternative work arrangements Independent contractors 6.1% On call workers 1.6% Temporary help agency workers 1.0% Contract firm workers 0.6% Traditional arrangements 90.1%
W

societyfind oevery eworld.emploevery ltalizinwill pofrom t

Am

more pand pelarger maintacapital

ClosinThe nalreadyexpandgaps bexampthe labpay gashrinktwentyprogrethe avecents fit’s 76 

Th

reasonworkfowomen

10 futurework e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y

ditional workers’ earnings and are two-thirds of traditional workers’ average earnings ($510). Inaddition to earning less, temp agency workers aremore likely to be young, female, and minority. 

While alternative working arrangements can

help those who choose a nontraditional form ofemployment, a majority are not in these arrangements by choice. In fact, 59 percent of agencytemps would prefer a traditional job. In addition,many temps who work part time would prefer towork full time but are not offered that option. Empowering workers with choiceIn the twenty-first century, the most successfulworkers will be those who are able to choose theemployment relationship that gives them sufficientwages and benefits, and ability to care for their

families. The challenge will come in ensuring thatfuture workers who prefer nontraditional optionshave on-the-job protections. Today, many do not. 

Today’s nontraditional workers receive less

training and fewer benefits. Only seven percent ofagency temp workers receive employer-providedhealthcare benefits, and just one in ten is eligiblefor an employer-sponsored pension plan.

Nontraditional work arrangements can raise

practical and legal questions about the statutoryprotections available to workers. Workers may beunsure of their rights, and firms may be unsure oftheir obligations. Government agencies, in turn,will need to understand the nature of a workarrangement before deciding how best to enforce aparticular law.

Ensuring access to benefits for nontraditional

workers without causing employers to drop coverage for traditional employees may presentanother challenge. And providing traditional jobsfor those nontraditional workers who want themmay be the hardest task of all. 

The goal is to create a balance between the

need to furnish workers with fair wages and benefits and the ability to care for their families, whileproviding employers the flexibility they need to becompetitive in the global economy.

DESTINY AND DIVERSITYIn the next century, nearly one out of twoAmericans will be a member of what today is considered a minority group. America will be manyfaces and many races with no one majority groupin the workforce. The question is not whetherthere will be change but how we manage thatchange so that all may benefit. It is not so much achoice as a challenge. 

ech:

ail to v-mail

enables workers to decentralize their work, “clocking

ay become a thing of the past. Workers may rarely be

nd work hours may no longer be from 9-to-5 o’clock.

h products:

age and sound on a wireless 

en accessible anywhere;

eal time images along with audio;

ferencing—with participants 

ocations worldwide;

ffices for face-to-face meetings and 

d the water cooler.
e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y futurework 11

ve in a uniquely multiracial, multiethnic

and it is becoming more so every day. We

oots in every corner of the globe—and

ing and potential market throughout the

apitalizing on America’s diversity will give

 a competitive advantage. We speak

uage. We know every culture. And capi

n our diversity and immigration trends

on us to compete and win everywhere—

global marketplace to the corner market.

ca’s workforce of the future will include

ple of color, older Americans, women,

e with disabilities. The availability of

ls of workers creates the opportunity to

economic growth by tapping new human

ources. 

e gap

wing of gaps in society shows that we are

aking some of the right choices about

g opportunity for all Americans. Wage

een the sexes and across racial groups, for

have narrowed. As more women enter

market and spend longer hours there, the

etween men and women has lessened—

by more than one-third in the past

ars. African-Americans have also made

albeit over a longer time period. In 1940,

e African-American man earned only 40

every $1 earned by a white man. Today,

ts.

gaps are declining for a number of

Women are spending more time in the

and gaining work experience. Both

d people of color are gaining greater skills

and attaining higher education levels as more opportunities have been made available. And we havetranslated our national promise of civil rights intothe daily practice of effective antidiscrimination initiatives and affirmative efforts to include everyone inthe workplace. But, of course, barriers remain. 

Not there yetWhile the wage gap has diminished, it hasn’t disappeared. Women and minorities continue to earnless than their white male counterparts. The earnings of African-American and Hispanic women areonly 65 and 55 percent, respectively, of white men’saverage earnings.

White women earn about 75 cents for every

dollar earned by white men. About 40 percent ofthat pay gap can’t be explained by differences inexperiences, skills, or the jobs held by men andwomen. It appears to be largely the product ofstubborn discrimination.

Barriers not only affect wages in the workforce,

but also the path to becoming a part of it. Even inthis booming economy, people are being left behind.

The unemployment rates for African-Americans

and Hispanics have declined to historic low levels inthe past two years. But the unemployment rate of

workers with disabilities are more likely to:■ have two jobs■ work part-time because they cannot find full-time employment■ be self-employed■ earn less from their own incorporated businesses■ earn less per hour, per month, and per year
H

they nworkpwho inworke—doestuck irity gumake to the in the emplo

H

their femploensurenot lefporaryrelegattemps and levincreasproces

W

to socistandathrougworkenationthe ba

Th

help mfuture cymakfamilietively with c

12 futurework e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y

African-American men is still twice that of whitemen. For African-American teens, unemploymenthas fallen dramatically over the past 6 years butremains around 25 percent or higher. Three out offour working-age people with disabilities who wantto work are not working. And half of the totalNative American workforce is unemployed.

The demands of the future will require

increased efforts to include these workers who havebeen left behind and have not shared in our prosperity. It will also require successfully integratingmillions of immigrants into the workplace.Tapping America’s potentialAs we enter the twenty-first century, it is increasinglyclear that tapping into the talents of all of America’savailable workers isn’t just good values, it’s goodbusiness. As our population becomes morediverse—and global competition expands—

employers can’t afford to underutilize any segment ofthe American talent pool. Moreover, people who areready to work today are consumers who are ready tobuy tomorrow. There are billions of dollars inunmet demand in left-out urban and rural areas.

Our nation is in the midst of a period of historic economic progress. The key to continued

growth without inflation is in making sure thatevery American can share in that prosperity. Fromcentral cities to rural areas to suburbs to NativeAmerican communities—the better more of us do,the better all of us do. 

Our diversity is our destiny. Recognizing and

capitalizing on that reality may be one of ourgreatest challenges. But it’s also our greatestopportunity.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?We know that workers need rising living standardsover their lifetimes, a balance between the demandsof work and family, and workplaces that are safeand fair. We also know that major trends willsweep across and radically change the landscape ofworkplaces and the makeup of the workforce in thetwenty-first century. Futurework details the extraordinary diversification of the workforce, theexplosive growth of technology, and the pervasiveimpact of growing globalization. How will futureworkers strive for and attain economic security,work-family balance, and safe and fair workplaces? 

Futurework does not try to provide all the

answers. Instead, it presents the trends, examinestheir combined implications and asks the questions that we expect will help shape the debateover labor policy for the twenty-first century.Here are some of them:

alk:

rs dictionary

work’s glossary for definitions.

■ hyperlink■ Internet ■ java■ link■ search engine■ server■ SMTP

■ surfing ■ url■ webcasting■ web page■ web site ■ www■ XML
e x e c u t i v e s u m m a r y futurework 13

do we ensure that workers get the skills

to succeed in the twenty-first century

? Will employers hire and train workers

lly lack skills? What happens to the

d off from a manufacturing job at age 55

 get training in new technologies or is he

ower-wage jobs like groundskeeper, secu

 and warehouse stock clerk? How do we

 that people with disabilities have access

hnologies that facilitate their participation

rkplace? How will e-commerce impact

ent?

can workers find the time they need for

ies, while at the same time ensuring that

 can get the job done? How do we

at those with lower educational levels are

ehind by the digital economy? Will tem

d other nontraditional workers be

o permanent second class status, or will

ome more like independent contractors

ge higher compensation? Will workers

ly rely on the collective bargaining

provide higher wages and better benefits?

we manage the change in the workforce

s advantage? Will global competition lift

for people working and living

ut the world? 

Will businesses invest in

ho have been left behind to ensure the

ontinued prosperity? Will we bring down

rs to success for all Americans? 

nswers to these and similar questions will

the landscape of the future of work. For

rkers, employers, labor unions, and poli

preserving the constants for working

the goal, and managing change effec

he challenge. Together, we can proceed

dence. 

ten facts affecting futurework■ Baby boomers make up almost half (47%) of 

the workforce today.

■ Young women are enrolling in college at a higher 

rate (70%) than young men (64%).

■ Young people hold an average of nine jobs before age 32.■ Employed mothers with children under age 13 miss an 

average of 6.4 workdays a year due to family-related issues. 

■ From 1969 to 1996 families, on average, experienced 

a decrease of 22 hours a week (or 14 percent) of available parental time to spend with their children.

■ Small businesses employ about half of the nation’s 

private sector workforce.

■ E-commerce revenue for 1998 was estimated at 

$300 billion—almost the size of the U.S. auto industry.

■ In five years, almost half of all workers will be employed 

in industries that produce or are intensive users of information technology.

■ With more than 1600 corporate training institutions 

already established, the number of “corporate universities”could surpass the number of traditional universities by the year 2010.

■ American workers get only seven hours of sleep every 

night . . . 365 hours a year less than recommended. One in three adults say that their work has been affected by feeling drowsy on the job.