This study examines the employment implications of sustainable development, especially for developing countries, and reviews current approaches to minimizing environmental degradation. Spectacular economic growth since 1945, based largely on technological advance, has entailed major environmental costs which, this book claims, cannot be sustained, except at the risk of our own survival.

World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolu­tion, which will fundamentally alter how we live and work. Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale, scope and complexity from any that have come before. Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the developments are affecting all disciplines, economies, industries and governments, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human. Artificial intelligence is already all around us, from supercomputers, drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing, DNA sequencing, smart thermostats, wear­able sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand. But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development. Imagine “smart factories” in which global systems of manu­facturing are coordinated virtually, or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials. The fourth industrial revolution, says Schwab, is more significant, and its ramifications more profound, than in any prior period of human history. He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government, business, civil society and individu­als. Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future—one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them. We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frame­works that advance progress.

It's a living! That fact, no one can deny. Yet the significance of work--productive activity which alters the physical environment to meet human needs--goes far beyond the paycheck. Work involves, among other things, embracing a set of roles and beliefs, mastering skills and knowledge, and behaving in ways considered appropriate for the achievement of a desired level of productivity and quality. This book is an informative and highly readable global survey of the various aspects of work in market and industrial societies. Its extensive general introduction and the seven section introductions discuss the role of work in society and the problems and satisfactions associated with working. The book's eighteen chapters, written by well-known specialists, spotlight characteristics which give each occupation its distinctive cultural identification. Featured in this compendium of work and working are factory workers, white collar employees, construction personnel, farmers and migrant workers, miners, railroaders, longshoremen, sanitation workers, firefighters, and fishermen.