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 1990s 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 20 per cent in productive industries and 80 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. Many more people will be able to work at home.
