ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book analyses the extent to which and the way in which technological change determines the utilisation of labour in less developed economies. It examines empirically, starting from the assumption that the impact of technology on labour varies between different categories of labour and different industries. The book is concerned with the impact of technological change on the utilisation of labour in terms of number of jobs, recruitment, training, skill requirements, labour turnover, wages and internal mobility. It also investigates the impact on the utilisation of external labour in the form of subcontracting of small producers and employment of outworkers. The book explores possibilities of classifying technologies according to the type of labour utilisation they are likely to produce. It explains why modern technology in developing countries is generally associated with a privileged workforce, i.e. higher skill requirements, better wages and greater stability.
