workers had to tolerate the situation because there were plenty of unemployed ready to take their place. Reforms and improvements only occurred thanks to the work of trade unions, which organised workers and staged protests. Manufacturing, mining and engineering provided employment for millions of people well into the 20th century. In the second half of the century, however, the rise of automation inevitably led to a decline in the number of jobs in the manufacturing sector and to growing unemployment. The job crisis in the manufacturing industry in advanced economies was aggravated by another new development, the offshoring of manufacturing jobs to lowcost countries (mainly in Southeast Asia). As a result of this development there was another job shift: from the secondary to the tertiary or service sector. People now worked in offices, at computers managing e-business – tasks made possible by the internet, in fast food chains, beauty salons and fitness centres inside shopping centres. While the present age is usually referred to as the ‘post-industrial society,’ management expert Peter Drucker coined the term ‘the knowledge society’ for it. By 2019, 1 billion jobs worldwide involved knowledge work like problem-solving and developing corporate strategy. The knowledge society is characterised by human capital and technological innovation. A spin-off from the information age based on digitised media, the knowledge economy relies on know-how and expertise as much as on other economic resources.Whereas manual workers worked with their hands and produced tangible goods, knowledge workers work with their brain and produce knowledge, ideas and information. Bound neither to the field nor to the factory, knowledge work can be done irrespective of time and place. This fact will not only revolutionise the workplace but also increasingly blur the line between work life and personal life. During the Covid crisis knowledge work went on irrespective of lockdown and social distancing, but what the crisis also showed is that the essential basics of our lives really depend on the manual and care work at supermarkets and hospitals, and also that the offshoring of manufacturing work has left countries dependent on the unimpeded flow of global traffic. Statements True False First four words 1 Before the industrial revolution, people worked mainly in farming. 2 Urban areas expanded because of the migration of workers. 3 Technological advances and new means of transport impacted negatively on production and distribution. 4 Industrial workers accepted the bad working conditions because they were tolerant. 5 Growing unemployment in manufacturing was made worse when companies started to shift production to cheap labour countries. 6 Automation led to job losses in production while the rate of employment in service industries rose. 7 The present knowledge economy would be impossible without digitalisation. 8 The nature of knowledge work will only affect people’s workplaces. Media task. Research the distribution of jobs in the different economic sectors in Austria. If possible, compare job distribution in the first half of the 20th century and now. Illustrate your findings with two pie charts and create a poster to use in your presentation. Speaking 4 Read the article again. Decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F). Write down the first four words of the sentence which supports your decision. 3 Language skills Extras Explore 6 Work, work, work 75 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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