The National Academies Press

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Pages 1-15

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From page 1... ... Technological advance has also played an increasingly important role in the growth of income per person during the past 100 years; its contribution to that area and to economic growth is likely to increase still further as the United States becomes more closely linked to the global economy. The use of new technologies in production processes frequently reduces the labor and other resources needed to produce a unit of output; these reductions in turn lower the costs of production and the employment requirements for a fixed output level. Read the entire page →
From page 2... ... Moreover, the more rapid rates of international technology transfer characteristic of the modern economic environment mean that the knowledge forming the basis for commercial innovations need not be domestic in origin, just as U.S. basic research has underpinned the technological advances of firms in other nations. Read the entire page →
From page 3... ... Despite the increased importance of international trade for this economy and the role of technological change within it, a discussion of trade policies also would have taken this panel far beyond its charge; trade policy therefore was not considered in detail by the panel. Our principal finding may be succinctly stated: Technological change is an essential component of a dynamic, expanding economy. Read the entire page →
From page 4... ... Given these realities, we recommend policies to help workers adjust to technological change. Our recommendations propose initiatives to aid displaced workers through job search assistance, basic skills training, training in new job-related skills, and advance notice of plant shutdowns and large-scale permanent layoffs. Read the entire page →
From page 5... ... are likely to be shorter in the future (see Chapter 34. Technology and the Characteristics of Tomorrow's Jobs � New technologies by themselves are not likely to change the level of job-related skills required for the labor force as a whole. Read the entire page →
From page 6... ... The most reliable projections of future job growth suggest that the number of jobs in the broad occupational categories accounting for the majority of entrant employment will continue to expand. Combined with a projected lower rate of growth in the entrant pool, this conclusion suggests that labor force entrants with strong basic skills (numerical reasoning, problem solving, literacy, and written communication) Read the entire page →
From page 7... ... Just as management policies to support adoption of new technologies within the firm must address worker concerns about adjustment and employment security (see Chapter 7 of our full report) , public policies that aid adjustment can reduce potential resistance to new technologies and support their more rapid adoption. Read the entire page →
From page 8... ... Options for Adjustment Assistance for Displaced Workers We recommend that action be taken to improve existing JTPA Title III programs of job search and placement assistance and training in both basic and job-related skills for displaced workers. We recommend that some or all of the following options be implemented: � broadening the range of employment services provided to displaced workers and those facing imminent displacement, including job counseling, skills diagnosis, job search assistance, and placement services; � increasing the share of Title IIIfunds devoted to training in basic and job-related skills; long; � broadening income support for displaced workers engaged in train � instituting a program of federally provided direct loans or loan guarantees, administered by state or local authorities, to workers displaced by technological change, plant shutdowns, or large-scale layoffs (these loans could be used by displaced workers to finance retraining or relocation or to establish new businesses) Read the entire page →
From page 9... ... : 1 million workers, which is the estimated number of displaced workers who had been employed for 3 or more years in the job from which they were displaced; and 2.3 million, which is the estimated total number of workers suffering permanent job loss. As estimated rates of participation in these programs range from 5 to 30 percent of the displaced worker population, the estimated costs of these policy options range from $131 million (5 percent participation rated 'Participation rates also will be affected by the policies and guidelines adopted by states in administering any system of training, job search assistance, and income support. Read the entire page →
From page 10... ... The panel believes that the following alternatives are viable options to achieve broader advance notice, with appropriate provisions to reduce the burden on small business and provide for unforeseen circumstances: ~ federal action to require employers to provide substantial advance notice of permanent plant shutdowns and large permanent layoffs; or Of the annual flow of displaced workers is estimated to amount to 1.2 million workers (the estimate used by the Secretary of Labor's Task Force on Economic Change and Dislocation, 1986) , the estimated costs of these options range from $157 million to $943 million. Read the entire page →
From page 11... ... Improvement in the basic literacy, problem-solving, numerical reasoning, and written communication skills of labor force entrants is essential. We endorse additional public support for research on strategies to achieve this goal, as well asfinancial support for the implementation of programs that improve the basic skills of labor force entrants and of those already in the labor force who lack these skills. Read the entire page →
From page 12... ... technology base appears to be limited at best. In addition to a strong research base, however, public policies to support more rapid adoption of new technologies within this economy deserve consideration. Read the entire page →
From page 13... ... We also support the development by the Census Bureau of better data on technology adoption byfirms. � We recommend that the Bureau of Labor Statistics expand its survey of displaced workers (the special supplement to the Current Population Survey' to allow annual data collection and that this survey improve its question on the nature and effect of advance notice of layoffs. Read the entire page →
From page 14... ... Elements of "Best-Practice" Strategies for Technology Adoption � We recommend that management give advance notice of and consult with workers about job redesign and technological change. Read the entire page →
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From page 1...

... Technological advance has also played an increasingly important role in the growth of income per person during the past 100 years; its contribution to that area and to economic growth is likely to increase still further as the United States becomes more closely linked to the global economy. The use of new technologies in production processes frequently reduces the labor and other resources needed to produce a unit of output; these reductions in turn lower the costs of production and the employment requirements for a fixed output level.

Summary Pages 1-15

Summary
Pages 1-15