Microelectronics at Work: Productivity and Jobs in the World Economy. Worldwatch Paper 39.

A combination of revitalized employment policies, greater industrial democracy, and new ways of distributing both the hours of work and the fruits of technological change are essential if the benefits of the microelectronic revolution are to be equitably shared. Microelectronic technology promises an array of benefits, and the electronic age is already well under way. As it progresses during the last two decades of the twentieth century, it will lead to improvements in productivity in factories and offices, changes in the way information is processed, stored, and communicated, and alterations in the content of many jobs. Differing rates of development of the electronics industry may lead to shifting advantages of competition in the international marketplace. Like all major technological changes, the transition to microelectronics will raise difficult political issues, among which the impact on jobs and employment is the most prominent. (KC)