Why the United States lags behind other industrialized countries in sharing the benefits of
innovation with workers and how we can remedy the problem. The United States has too many
low-quality low-wage jobs. Every country has its share but those in the United States are
especially poorly paid and often without benefits. Meanwhile overall productivity increases
steadily and new technology has transformed large parts of the economy enhancing the skills
and paychecks of higher paid knowledge workers. What's wrong with this picture? Why have so
many workers benefited so little from decades of growth? The Work of the Future shows that
technology is neither the problem nor the solution. We can build better jobs if we create
institutions that leverage technological innovation and also support workers though long cycles
of technological transformation. Building on findings from the multiyear MIT Task Force on the
Work of the Future the book argues that we must foster institutional innovations that
complement technological change. Skills programs that emphasize work-based and hybrid learning
(in person and online) for example empower workers to become and remain productive in a
continuously evolving workplace. Industries fueled by new technology that augments workers can
supply good jobs and federal investment in R&D can help make these industries worker-friendly.
We must act to ensure that the labor market of the future offers benefits opportunity and a
measure of economic security to all.
