Does the New Economy Demand a Top-Notch Work Force?
Crucial in the New Economy are information, ideas, and technology, spurred by intellectual assets (educated workers) and intellectual property (innovations). It is the workers’ knowledgeable use of technology that can enhance the value of a company’s products and services (Kearns 2002). Thus, businesses are looking for workers who are skilled, knowledgeable, and creativewho know not only about technology, but about how to use it; who can not only use technology, but who have the intelligence and creativity to develop new technology that will make them competitive. Today, the majority of workers use a computer every day and many have access to one at home. In an average workday, American workers spend 33 percent of their time working on the computer and 23 percent on the Internet (Heldrich 2000). Thus, a company’s success is dependent on each worker’s effective and innovative use of information technologies. Education is a key factor in employability as well. The New Economy needs a wor
