But because the market is global, there is no longer even the illusion of control, of national boundaries, and that's what really frightens people. Ga. U.S. manufacturers have hooked up computerized counters to sewing machines so they can monitor how quickly each seamstress joins two pieces of fabric. Not only does that give instant feedback on productivity, but the new, networked plant also cuts down on the number of supervisors on the cutting-room floor. New technology may be fueling gains in productivity, but that means many people are working harder than before, especially since their laptops and cell phones stretch the office all the way home. They stop at the back-rub store for five minutes to get some quick relief.
Anxiety disorders affect more people than depression or substance abuse.
Now everyone wants to go straight into a consulting job the day after graduation. That way they know they'll have a job and can start paying off their loans, and their parents won't accuse them of wasting their time after spending all this money on this credential. The average ceo of a large company now earns 200 times more than the average worker, up from a 40-fold difference in the 1970s, according to trend watcher and author Gerald Celente. And for those who drop out, the options for unskilled workers keep shrinking, as does the safety net beneath them if they fall out of the economy altogether. That too represents an enormous psychological change from the 1950s.