Information technology and skill demands in the American workplace

Technological Changes in the Workplace

How technological changes are affecting the American workplace

Information technology (it) and associated high-tech changes in work organization are important causes of a shift to high wage, high skill work. It is among the most important technological changes affecting the economy, and employers who use it usually co-invent new approaches to workplace organization and new product and service offerings. It and the high-tech co-inventions together change the mix of skills that employers demand, often substituting computers for low skill work while complementing work requires certain cognitive and social skills. (Timothy Bresnahan, Erik Brynjolfsson, Lorin M. Hitt)

Has it been effective?

Today, due to both rapid and sweeping change in the workplace, life feels complex and unsettling. Modern technologies are both exhilarating and frightening, bringing problems along with great promise. (Daphne Taras, James Bennett)

What effect has technology had on your workplace?

The high tech revolution has definitely affected all aspects of how real estate is bought and sold: The Multiple Listing system on personal computer or blackberry, infra-red electronic home entry keys remotely updated, and contracts completed online, emailed and signed. Faster, more efficient, more effective, but the downside is less personal contact and loss of rapport with both customer and other agents. This could have future negative effects on referral business.