What is it like for the 21st Century Workforce?
Service-sector Workers, 
Temp and Tech Employees

Among the key findings :    

          

• The work world is increasingly white collar.
  
  At the beginning of the 20th century, white-collar workers made up 18 percent of the workforce; now, they  make up nearly 60 percent according to the Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Computer-related jobs will continue to dominate the workplace.
  
  Computer engineers, computer support specialists systems analysts, database administrators and desktop publishing specialist  - all center on computer technology.  Taken together, these five jobs are projected to enjoy a whopping 98 percent growth rate by 2008.

• The ranks of contingent workers are growing faster than the workforce in general.    

During downsizing and restructuring many secure full-time jobs become temporary or part-time  jobs. Between 1980 and 1990 the contingent workforce grew more than 44 percent. Contingent workers often lack health insurance, pensions, paid sick leave and other benefits.  Contingent workers also have been denied the right to have a union voice on the job.   

• Professionals are turning to unions to win a voice on the job.
  
  Professionals are joining and forming unions at a faster rate than any other occupational group.  Representation in unions for professionals is 22 percent as compared to less than 15 percent of the general  workforce.  In 2000, almost 50 percent of union members were white-collar workers and this number is expected to rise.      

• As is true for most working women, professional women suffer from a persistent and growing wage gap.
  
  In 2000, the average professional women earned 74.2 cents for every dollar earned by a professional man.  Pursuing higher education does little to narrow the gap:  A woman with a doctorate degree earned 29 percent less than male counterpart in 1998, while a women with a professional degree (such as law, medicine or business) earned 39 percent less. This inequity persists even though women earn more bachelor's and master degrees than men for almost 20 years.  Becoming a union member does help women combat unequal pay. Union contract base pay on experience and seniority.  It's ageless and sexless.         

Source:  Current Statistics on White-Collar Employees and Salaried and Professional Women:  Relevant Statistics  - AFL-CIO.