| Article ID: | iaor19881060 |
| Country: | United States |
| Volume: | 34 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| Start Page Number: | 231 |
| End Page Number: | 251 |
| Publication Date: | Nov 1988 |
| Journal: | Technological Forecasting & Social Change |
| Authors: | Swyt Dennis A. |
United States manufacturing is moving on a well-established trajectory of increased knowledge intensity represented by the rise in the proportion of its workforce in technical-professional occupations. Based on BLS data and a new analytical tool, this paper: 1) shows an 80-year linear trend in the evolution of the total workforce; 2) establishes characteristic ages for 20 manufacturing sectors, including 1910 for autos and 2015 for computer equipment; and 3) projects a rise of technical-professional workers in the next century to 50% of the workforce.