The decision to go to college still makes sense for most, but a recent survey showed that only 16% Americans think a four-year college degree course prepares students well for a high-paying job in the modern economy. To some extent, technology seems to be complicating the picture.
A paper published by several Canadian economists questions optimistic assumptions about demand for non-routine work and shows that since 2000 the share of employment accounted for by high-skilled jobs in America has been falling. This analysis supports the view that technology has come as a blow to employment. Skilled and unskilled workers alike are in trouble. Those with a better education are still more likely to find work, but there is now a fair chance that it will be unenjoyable. Those who never made it to college face being squeezed out of the workforce altogether. This is the argument of the techno-pessimists(科技悲观者), who calculated that 47% of existing jobs in America are very likely to be influenced by automation.
There is another, less pessimistic possibility. James Bessen, an economist at Boston University, has worked out the effects of automation on specific professions and finds that since 1980 employment has been growing faster in occupations that use computers than in those that do not. Progressive automation can actually increase demand by reducing costs. But even though technology may not destroy jobs on the whole, it does force change upon many people.
In many occupations it has become essential to acquire new skills as established ones become out-of-date. Burning Glass Technologies, a Boston-based startup that analyses labor markets by obtaining data from online job advertisements, finds that the biggest demand is for new combinations of skills-what its boss, Matt Sigelman, calls “hybrid jobs". The composition of new jobs is also changing rapidly.
A college degree at the start of a working career does not answer the need for the continuous acquisition of new skills, especially as career spans(持续时间) are lengthening. Vocational training(职业培训) is good at giving people job-specific skills, but those, too, will need to be updated over and over again during a career lasting decades. Vocational training has a role, but training someone early to do one thing all their lives is not the answer to lifelong learning.
Add all of this up, and it becomes clear that times have got tougher for workers of all kinds. A college degree is still a necessity for many jobs, but employers often do not trust it enough to hire workers just on the strength of that. In many occupations workers on company payrolls face the prospect that their existing skills will become outdated.
12. What can we learn from the paper conducted by the Canadian economists?
A.Employment has been shaken by technology. |
B.College degree is a necessity in career success. |
C.Skilled workers are no longer required in most American industries. |
D.Techno-pessimism paves the way for future technology development. |
13. What does James Bessen believe according to the text?
A.Increased demand can bring about cost reduction. |
B.Progressive automation is beneficial to companies. |
C.Computer has always been an essential factor in employment. |
D.Technology advancement has a positive impact on most people. |
14. Which of the following may Burning Glass Technologies agree with?
A.The job market will have a bright future. |
B.The composition of new jobs is shaped by technology. |
C.Online job advertisements require a precise data analysis. |
D.Acquisition of new skills is essential in current job market. |
15. Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A.Lifelong Learning: an Economic Priority |
B.Technology Revolution: the Way to Success |
C.College Degree: a Guarantee for Career Change |
D.Vocational Training: a Blessing for Job Seekers |