The economic and social context of special populations

Changes in both technology and international trade are altering the world economy and hence are affecting the demand and supply of labor and the nature of work and working conditions. New materials, faster and more powerful computers, electronic and mobile communications, alternative energy systems, miniaturization, robotics, and biotechnology pose new opportunities, problems, and challenges. The tremendous expansion in information-based technologies in both manufacturing and services has resulted in impressive increases in productivity and demand for new skills, but they also have brought about the displacement and de-skilling of some labor by capital, the lowering of wages, and the increase of contingent, part-time, and temporary work. Special populations, in particular, may be differentially impacted.