Technology, Finances, and Work in the New Century
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, dominant jobs included farming and running small businesses such as print shops or various kinds of small-scale manufactory (blacksmith, wheelwright, etc.). With its influx of technology, initially in the form of steam power, as well as the development of large-scale manufacturing techniques, the world of work changed. Many people became involved in some aspect of the production and distribution of goods, from the mining of coal for the energy to produce goods, to the store that sells the goods. Yet large-scale manufacturing requires large scale financial investment, well beyond the reach of the average person.
Over the past twenty or thirty years, computer technology has become another revolution in the way we conceptualize and do work. While we are still in a transitional stage with the influence of computers and the internet, and changes are happening so rapidly that we cannot predict the specific jobs that will be available, several trends appear to be significant.
Bricks and mortar are no longer requirements for the development of business. Many people run large, profitable businesses over the internet out of an office in a single room in their homes. Some of these businesses are idea-focused, such as those that sell design and content for various types of advertising. But some sell goods not because they have large warehouses but because they have agreements with manufacturers. The manufacturers ship goods directly to the customer at the behest of the internet-based store. Businesses of all sizes require much less initial investment at start-up.
Even traditional businesses are beginning to discover that they have less of a use for office space. It’s cheaper to have people work from home than it is to invest in an office space, the necessary utilities, and office equipment. Technology makes communication simple. Over time, as these trends continue, we may even begin to see a reduction in the problems of rush hour. This will save money for all concerned (not to mention having a positive influence on the environment).
A newer idea seems to offer businesses and workers even more flexibility, and that is crowd-sourcing. In crowd-sourcing, businesses put small jobs they need to have completed on a special website and workers on that website either do the jobs directly and then get paid if their work is of sufficient quality, or they bid for these jobs. There are advantages to both sides to this arrangement. Businesses do not have to commit financially to hiring a person and potentially providing benefits; instead they can get their work done by people who are essentially contractors. Yet over time, they get to know the people on crowd-sourcing sites who do a good job and they can pitch jobs towards those specific workers.
Crowd-sourcing workers have the flexibility to choose when they will work and the nature of the tasks they will do. If a day is busy, they can choose to work less. If they have medical appointments during the day, they can work into the evening or night as necessary. They are no longer at the mercy of unpleasant co-workers and bosses.
It’s difficult to guess what the structures of work will be across the next fifty years; it’s safe to say these structures will be significantly different from the 9-5 job of the late twentieth century.
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