Information technology, employment, and the information sector: Trends in information employment 1970-1995

Since 1970, there have been massive changes in both the U.S. economy and the technologies of information handling. Both of these have implications for employment in the information sector. This article updates the data on the occupational structure of information work, 1970-1995 inclusive. The data indicate that the information sector continues to grow as a proportion of all employment, albeit slower in recent years. The data also indicate that, within the information sector, information workers who handle information in non-routine ways are growing faster than information workers who handle information in routine ways. This article explores these trends in relation to the effects of information technology.