There has been a massive alteration in the way we earn a living. The method and the way we used to work has totally changed. This has been transformed by various factors which include; new technologies, economic globalization, social organization and various innovations that have faced the industry. With a closer look of the developed nations, the picture is quite mixed up.

Most people view work as unpleasant but when we go back in time, historically, engaging in back-breaking jobs is what made various countries to become rich. Once people grow rich, that’s the path with much light. Once you get rich, then you might start doing pleasant work.

This has been met by industrial evolution. Introduction of new technologies in various industries like iron, cotton textiles, and steel together with the advancements in transportation has hugely assisted in delivering a steady increase in the levels of labour productivity since time in history.

Urbanization.

In the mid-eighteenth century in Britain and then in North America and Western Europe, women and men saw the need to migrate flocking towns from remote areas to quench the thirst of various factories that had a growing demand of workers.

However, for decades, labourers never gained the benefits of toiling for many hours in order to oversee the elevating productivity. The conditions that they worked in were stifling. They resided in unsanitary housing, with areas of residence crowded to the bream. These workers never experienced any growth in their wages. Today, there are some indicators that clearly suggest that the standards of living for these workers might have declined, somehow.

Capitalism.

Finally, capitalism emerged and started to take effect. The benefits of capitalism started to be distributed extensively. This happened because partly, naturally there was a rise in wages as the many labours that migrated from remote areas started to dry up. More importantly, workers ganged up and started to strongly campaign and demand their interest be honoured.

Most industries were in turmoil as they feared a revolution. This led most of the industries to compromise. The political and civil rights were extended all the way to the working groups. Further, democracy tamed capitalism.

Improvement of working conditions.

Democracy threw in enough weight in the fight which saw the improvement in the conditions under which these labourers worked. The state demanded that these conditions improve and also negotiated and made arrangements that saw working hours reduced. There was also increased safety, health, and respect of family among other benefits.

The public made an aggressive investment in training and education which made labourers be more productive and free to exercise their rights and choice. Some jobs like those in the factory never turned out pleasant. The blue-collar jobs were able to be occupied enabling the middle class to have better standards of living, raising the lifestyle opportunities and consumption possibilities. Moreover, with the latest machines and its timely maintenance through efficient lubricants from oil companies has made it better for them to produce goods.

Technological progress.

The rise of technology greatly destabilized industrial capitalism. The levels of labour productivity especially in the manufacturing industries increased more compared to the rest of the economy. Technology enhanced the production of many cars, steel and high quantity of electronics only using a reduced number of workers.

The excess number of workers shifted to other jobs like health, education, entertainment, and finance and police administration. This was the moment that saw the birth of the post-industrial economy. Many companies were also born during this time from cotton, Oil, mining among others.

For those that never saw work become pleasant decided to venture into other sectors. If you had capital and skills you would have decided to prosper the post-industrial age. It’s here where many professions like engineers, bankers, and consultants arose. These people earned high salaries than their predecessors.

Office work offered a fair degree of space. They experienced a lot of freedom. This is something that factories and production facilities never provided. Factory jobs were tedious due to long hours of work. Office work had space for workers to control their daily lives and also make decisions at their places of work.

People like waiters, teachers, and nurses were not paid well but they were finally released from the drudgery. The evolutions of how work is conducted in various industries had both bad and good news, especially in developed countries.