Why Knowledge-Based Workers Shouldn't Get Too Smug

As printed in the Globe and Mail, Monday, March 7, 2011

For decades, North American manufacturing has been in upheaval due to the forces of globalization. Thousands of traditional blue-collar jobs are vanishing because of lower costs in Asia. Union representatives understandably call on politicians to “level the playing field.” But even these advocates know that a lot of these jobs cannot be saved.

At the same time, millions of other workers click on their laptops and begin their working day. These are the ones who went to university. They have service-sector jobs. They are, as they like to call themselves, the “knowledge-based” economy. They’re smart, young and smug in their job security. The problem is, their jobs are far less secure than they know.

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