The Changing Nature of Work and Jobs

Overview

Once, long ago, people could leave school without any real qualifications and simply walk into a job. They may have taken on some form of apprenticeship and developed themselves from there, or they may simply have become what they would remain for the rest of their working life.

Today, it is more difficult to get started and it is accepted that you will make a number of changes during your working life. People who began life as typists in the last century made the change to computers during their working lives. People who are starting today using up-to-date technology are likely to find that they will need to be consistently updating to keep current. In addition, some jobs will disappear - someone who began work on an assembly line years ago may have found their job taken over by robots.

This could cause problems, as people will have to re-train and re learn to go into new areas. But it's certain that new jobs will appear, and there will be new work opportunities to replace those that have gone.

Let's look in more detail at the changing nature of work and jobs.

The industrial revolution of the nineteenth century dramatically changed the way we work and live. Now, a new post-industrial revolution is launching a similar upheaval. The experiences of the people in our introductory case study are reflections of this.

Jobs as we have known them - that is permanent 9-5 jobs - are no longer always what people expect. A variety of new work arrangements are emerging, from temporary and contract work, to flexible assignments within companies.

Core jobs

Some people believe that this type of job, which consists of working within a formal job description and doing strictly allocated tasks, is overrated because it limits people and organisations, discourages flexibility and responsiveness, and encourages buck-passing. 'That's not my job: it's his job', is identified with short-lived arrangements rather than with the flexible use of talent in pursuit of organisational goals.

Shamrock organisations

These have a small core of full-time staff supported by part-time and freelance workers who offer a portfolio of skills. Portfolio workers are paid for results and used only when needed.

Casual and part-timers

A third group consists of casuals and part-timers, who smooth out the peaks and troughs of business.

Only with the first group, core staff, is mutual loyalty an expected part of the contractual relationship. This group will have to work very hard in exchange for their privileged position.

In the other two groups, the security of work is less and prospects are more likely to involve a pattern of transition from one job to another. It is possible that this type of job can become highly valued and therefore demand a higher rate of pay. This is currently happening in New Zealand in the information technology area, where recruitment salaries are sky-high because of a shortage of skilled people. The search for appropriate staff has had to extend overseas. These workers usually desire short-term contracts so that the 'bidding war' for their talents will remain fierce.

Some people worry about the effect of losing the permanent, full-time job that came into existence during the industrial revolution. However, most people throughout history have done just fine without jobs. They worked just as hard, but they didn't work regular hours. In pre-industrial times they worked on a schedule set by the sun or the weather or the needs of the day. It is only during the past century or so that people have become hooked on jobs and unable to think of their work lives without reference to them.

In the past, the individual was the servant of the organisation. Increasingly, the organisation is becoming the servant of the individual. In developed economies, the assets of organisations are changing from raw materials, physical property, and machinery to the brains and skills of their people. You can't own those skills in the same way you own machinery or property. Nor can you dispose of them in the same way.

The role of technology

Technology has had a dramatic impact on the type of labour required in today's workplace. The employment of manual labour and a large manufacturing sector has made way for huge increases in the workforce in the service sector and information technology. The advent of the 'knowledge age' has seen employment requirements for staff to be multi-skilled in technologies such as computing and telecommunications.

In the United States, it is thought that the knowledge age started in 1991. This was the first time that information technology overtook the 'industrial age' in capital spending. In that year, engines, machinery, oil, and agriculture gave way to information technology, computers, telecommunications, and software.

The industrial age can be defined as:

• extraction
• manufacturing
• assembly
• marketing
• products (and services).
• distribution

The knowledge age can be defined as:

• data
• information
• knowledge
• expertise
• marketing
• services (and products).

Today, wealth is increasingly created by the use of brains rather than hands. This change is profoundly altering the relationship between individuals and organisations, and the structure of organisations. Many commentators agree that knowledge (intellectual capital) is the only remaining source of competitive advantage. This means that people, and what's in their heads, provide the competitive edge.

Pressures on today's workplace

New pressures are developing in the modern workplace and more businesses must operate in 'real time.' Things must happen right now. Time is critical. People don't have enough of it. A significant concern is that this shortage of time is a major cause of stress in the workplace. If this trend continues, will it mean that increasing numbers of our colleagues are going to be stressed out? And will a lack of time affect information flows and decision-making in the workplace?

Organisations usually link authority to position. The higher up you are, the more authority you have. In a real-time business, however, authority tends to lie with the people who have direct, real-time contact with customers.

There seems little doubt that these changes are occurring. The main reasons are probably economic. We are part of a global economy, and to be competitive, organisations must be able to react quickly to new circumstances. Organisations need to be flexible, and they need to keep costs as low as possible. These requirements seem to be important drivers of new approaches to work. But not everybody will benefit from these changes. Inevitably, there will be resistance.

What are the costs and benefits?

Some people will benefit enormously from these trends. But will other people be left behind? Will a new class of 'have-nots' emerge who are unable to contribute in the world of work?

The skills needed in the industrial age that is passing are undeniably different from those demanded by the knowledge age. Most people could master the skills required for operating the machines of the mid-twentieth century, but those jobs have now been replaced by smart machines that, in effect, control themselves. A whole arena of low- and middle-skill employment has already disappeared.

Another issue is the mismatch between the types of jobs that go unfilled and the skills of the available workers. Studies suggest that 75 per cent of new jobs created will demand people with college educations and good technical skills. But less than half of all new workers are likely to have progressed beyond high school.