Labor Market Adjustment In High-Tech Industries: A Critical Review

Abstract

Capitalist restructuring in the United States has been a key fore in reshaping cities and regions in the late 1970s and 1980s. The emergence of high-tech industries and its impact on the level of employment, the quality of work, and the condition of labor is at the core of the social debate over the high-tech led economic development. Some researchers argue that high-tech industries have a positive effect on labor markets. Others seem to support the idea of a significant negative impact exercised by high-technologies on employment patterns and occupational composition. The purpose of this paper is to provide some insights on this debate by critically examining the relevant literature. We conclude that there is a need to inquire further into the labor market adjustment at the local level to unravel the inner complexities.