Impact on employment

The introduction of information technology has caused some unemployment, for example:

• Computer-controlled warehouses need only a handful of staff to operate them.
• Computer-controlled robots are now common on production lines, replacing human workers.
• The old skills of workers in the printing industry are now out-of-date.
• Some jobs have disappeared as they can now be done automatically, eg marking multiple choice exam papers.

However, it is fair to say that the development of information technology has led to many new jobs such as computer technicians, programmers, webweb: includes all of the web pages accessible via the Internet designers and systems analysts.

Learning on the job

IT is more likely to have changed someone's work rather than led to them losing their job. People in certain professions have had to be retrained to make use of modern technology:

• Secretaries now use word processors and not typewriters.
• Travel agents book holidays by computer, not by phone or letter.
• Telephone banking has meant that many bank staff now work by phone in front of a computer, instead of being in a branch, behind a counter.
• De-skilling has taken place. Some jobs which needed a high level of skill in the past can now be done more easily. For example, print workers today can use DTP softwaredesktop publishing: an application that allows text and images to be laid out on a page to lay out their work.
• Designers now use CAD softwareComputer Aided Design (CAD) software: used extensively in the automotive industry, aerospace industry, and in architectural design to draw 2D and 3D designs rather than pencil and paper on a drawing board.