ABSTRACT
A great many changes that take place at work are driven by developments in technology. If we go back in history, the most fundamental change in working life in Britain came about as a result of the invention of machines such as the spinning jenny and the steam engine in the second half of the eighteenth century. Before this Industrial Revolution, most people worked on the land or in cottage industries – in 1750, only about 20% of England’s population lived in towns. After this date there was a vast increase in the number of people toiling in factories and coalfields and by 1850 over 50% lived in towns.
