New Structures of Work — An Irish Perspective

Technology is only one of the factors influencing work and its place in society. It can serve as a catalyst or vehicle for change in how, when, where and by whom work is undertaken. The present day structuring of work is not an immutable socio‐economic fact but represents a response to the changes imposed by the Industrial Revolution over the preceding two centuries. Information and other new technologies are predicted to produce changes of a magnitude comparable with those due to the Industrial Revolution. These changes will inevitably include alterations in the structuring of work in the future. However, unlike the first Industrial Revolution, when such changes were essentially ad hoc, society is now in a position to take an active rather than a passive role in determining changes in work structures.