ABSTRACT
The microelectronics boom, the fifth industrial revolution, will continue to be the fastest industrial
revolution of all time, especially in the fields of robotics and information technology. In 1970, 40 per
cent of the working population in industrial countries were employed in productive industries, that
is manufacturing or extractive (e.g. mining, agriculture, etc). By the early 1980s this had fallen to 30
per cent, with 60 per cent in service industries, and 10 per cent unemployed. By the year 2000 we
may well see only about 10 per cent in productive industries and 80-90 per cent in service industries,
the biggest growth being in the leisure industries. Moreover, the proper harnessing of robotics and
information technology should not only eliminate the drudgery of the assembly line and paper-
pushing, but also enable us to reduce the standard working week to about thirty hours if we wish.
