As the Millennium approaches, an economic earthquake is shaking the globe, producing an upheaval comparable to the Industrial Revolution that gave birth to the manufacturing age. The Information Revolution is powered by breathtaking technological advances, accelerating world trade and the spread of free – market policies. Economic values are being torn down. Vast new markets beckon. Ten years ago, the free – market economies encompassed 1 billion people. Now, says U.S. Treasury Under Secretary Lawrence Summers, “It is only a slight exaggeration to say this is the era when 3 billion people entered the free – market.Yet the world is also entering an era of uncertainly and dislocation. Just as the Industrial Revolution unleashed forces that destroyed the old agricultural order, so the Information Revolution is creating a new global division of labor with far – reaching consequences for the fortunes of nations and individuals.The only certainty, perhaps, is the size and speed of change. The globalized economy is one of 24 – hour financial markets, huge split – second flows of international funds, and intense competition as companies roam the world for capital, labor, technology, raw materials, and markets. More flexible production techniques are allowing giant global corporations to locate their activities wherever it is economically most advantageous. The traditional “industrial” countries, led by the U.S, are moving inexorably, though at differing speeds, to service – based economies. In the not to distant future, only 1 in 10 of their workers will be employed in manufacturing.Many economists are confident that a bright era of world growth will emerge from the current disruptions, that the changes are no more disturbing than the 18th century moves from countryside to industry. Service jobs replacing those in manufacturing are by no means all low paid. They include banking, insurance, marketing, design, and computer programming.
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