Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Vortex Of Labor, Thomas Janoski, Christopher Oliver

Sociology White Papers

Three factors constitute the new global division of labor that causes structural unemployment in advanced industrialized countries: (1) Globalization has increased outsourcing and off-shoring with manufacturing jobs and white collar work moving overseas. (2) Lean production has moved throughout the manufacturing industries of the world, with the service industries following behind. Lean production reduces jobs but can also create some jobs. (3) Advanced technologies reduce old jobs (e.g., newspapers, post office, etc.) but also create new jobs. The internet allows jobs to be done from anywhere in the world, which aids off-shoring, and automation reduces jobs but creates a few …