Danger! Automation at Work; Report of the State of Illinois Commission on Automation and Technological Progress.

The 74th Illinois General Assembly created the Illinois Commission on Automation and Technological Progress to study and analyze the economic and social effects of automation and other technological changes on industry, commerce, agriculture, education, manpower, and society in Illinois. Commission members visited industrial plants and business and government offices having automated and computerized systems. One-day hearings were held on the meat packing, banking, and insurance industries, and a 2-day hearing was held on the vocational education and manpower training programs. The Commission's investigations revealed that (1) Technological change has brought about such events as obsolescence of meatpacking plants, a decline in railroad jobs, and a reduction in coal mining operations, (2) The Manpower Development and Training Act is failing to meet the needs of changing industries, (3) The vocational education system is not keeping up with current needs, (4) Industry is not contributing enough to retraining workers displaced by automation, (5) Government agencies are not doing enough to conduct research into new occupational fields, and (6) The financing of job programs must be changed so that local authorities can be brought into closer contact with the programs. Based on its findings, the Commission formulated 22 recommendations in the nature of proposals and suggested changes in public policy and programs. (HC)