MANAGING WORKER TECHNOLOGY: DEMOGRAPHICS AND GREEN CAUSE A CHANGE IN FOCUS

摘要

Demographic trends in the United States and globally mitigate toward the required resurgence of technologies aimed toward more efficient use of humans. A rapidly aging domestic and global population; thus, an aging, less able, and diminishing work force, will require the labor-enhancing technology tools to be used in their older and more traditional sense to make work more efficient. In addition, these technologies will be called upon to be used in expanded areas to address current and future problems in innovative ways. Chief among these will be adaptation of the work to a work force with rapidly changing gender mix and an age histogram increasingly skewed to the right. These innovations will include assistance machinery and lighting, et al., for on-the-job use, as well as work study/measurement/design and ergonomic tools on conveyances to and from work; all of this while minimizing harm to the work environment and beyond. This paper will present available governmental population (thus, labor) forecasts through 2050, then will suggest ways in which older work study/measurement/design practitioners and technologies must adjust their focus to address changing global demographics.