This report is the product of a project called Investing in People, in which the National Conference of Legislatures and Jobs for the Future helped five states as they tried to develop and implement work force preparation and training strategies to meet the challenge of a competitive global economy. The report is organized in six sections. The…

An examination of the changes that are likely to occur in work and productivity in the future reveals that, at least before the year 2000, Americans are not likely to see many new jobs created and will probably not be required to alter their skills greatly for existing jobs. It will be difficult to duplicate the sustained productivity attained…

The most significant factors affecting the labor market during the 1980s were the United States' loss of competitiveness in the world marketplace, continued shifts in production from goods to services, changes in the skill requirements of many jobs, and demographic shifts in the population. During the next decade, incompatibility between the type…