[there are five news stories in this post.]
The Globe and Mail :: Workers better educated, StatsCan says
...OTTAWA - University graduates invaded not only high-tech industries, but also a variety of high-knowledge jobs in the 30 years between 1971 and 2001, a Statistics Canada study indicates.
Even in the mining, oil and gas sector for example, the percentage of workers with high-knowledge occupations almost doubled, to 26 per cent from 14 per cent.
In general, 34 per cent of knowledge workers had university degrees in 1971, compared with slightly less than 3 per cent of other workers, the agency reported Thursday.
"By 2001, 52 per cent of all workers in knowledge-intensive occupations had a university degree, compared with less than 10 per cent of those in other occupations."
The study found that the shift toward a knowledge-based economy was not a new phenomenon that emerged only in the 1990s when the information and communications technology sector experienced explosive growth.
"In fact, the proportion of knowledge workers increased steadily over the past three decades, reflecting a growth trend that began long before the high-tech boom of the 1990s," the agency said.
In 1971 about 14 per cent of the workforce had high-knowledge occupations. By 2001 that proportion had almost doubled to 25 per cent.
The study also found that:
While knowledge-based occupations pay significantly higher wages, the wage advantage enjoyed by knowledge workers relative to other occupations did not increase significantly from 1971 to 2001.
In 2001, some of the largest concentrations of knowledge workers were in business services at 66 per cent and finance and insurance at 42 per cent.
In the 1990s, the proportion of workers who were knowledge-based grew faster in service industries than in goods industries.
University degrees were most common in professional occupations. In 1971, slightly less than 45 per cent of professionals had university degrees. Thirty years later, this proportion was 66 per cent.
Growth in knowledge-based occupations has occurred in all regions of the country...
...PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 29 (AScribe Newswire) -- More and more employees are surfing the Web for personal reasons during work hours, and according to Saint Joseph's University's Dr. Claire Simmers and Drexel University's Dr. Murugan Anandarajan, it could be beneficial for employees and employers. In a new book entitled "Personal Web Usage in the Workplace: A Guide to Effective Human Resources Management" (Information Science Publishing), they explore the constructive side of personal Web usage.
Better time management, reduction in stress, adding to skill sets, and helping to achieve a balance between work and personal life are some of the advantages cited in the book.
"Personal Web usage in the workplace has a negative perception, especially among administrators who often see it as inefficient and creating a decrease in work productivity," said Dr. Simmers, associate professor of management.
The book suggests that personal Web usage can contribute to employees' continuous learning by helping them stay current on world events and business news, as well as provide support for education through formal classes and professional associations.
"Today, organizations demand more human capital and 'knowledge workers' who can perform at a higher level, but they are reluctant to view personal Web usage as a tool that could help employees perform their jobs more effectively," added Dr. Simmers. "If there is a level of virtual trust built between employees and organizations, then the use of the Internet can prove to be productive."
The study conducted by Drs. Simmers and Anandarajan, one of several presented in the book, analyzed 316 surveys of employees who were either part-time M.B.A. students from a northeastern university, or one of three contacts of each student; all of them had Web access at work.
Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851, Saint Joseph's University advances the professional and personal ambitions of men and women by providing a demanding, yet supportive, educational experience. One of only 137 schools with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and AACSB business school accreditation, Saint Joseph's is home to 3,900 full-time undergraduates and 3,400 graduate, part-time and doctoral students. Steeped in the 450-year Jesuit tradition of scholarship and service, the university challenges students to exceed their highest aspirations, fosters the mature development of values and deepens a desire to help shape the world...
allAfrica :: South Africa: Number of Full-Time Telecommuters Doubled Since 2000, Says Meta Group
...Teleworking policies continue to change as cultures and technologies mature, providing the framework for expansion from the travelling salesperson to the enterprise knowledge worker. Currently, more than 90% of enterprises use dial-up services to support such workers. However, functionality requirements for knowledge workers include the ability to access all relevant corporate and customer information, which demands reliable broadband access via cable modems, DSL, and other always-on Internet solutions for the remote workstation portfolio.
"By 2004, 40% of Global 2000 (G2000) companies will have an always-on broadband services policy that encompasses acceptable use, sourcing, payment/reimbursement, and service-level expectations (to include required quality of service for VOIP) for small, fixed remote sites and teleworkers. By 2006, 60% of G2000 organizations will have adopted such technology policies," added Ussher. "Among the reasons enterprises are considering convergence (eg, voice, data, video) are remote access by telecommuters to telephony features (including voice mail and station-to-station dialling) and access to non-telephony applications (eg, corporate applications), underlining the need for an enterprise-wide telecommuting strategy to include support."...
The Financial Express :: Not Limited To Consumer Space
by S SADAGOPAN
...Microsoft InfoPath is a neat application to capture business process re-engineering. MS One Note is a convenient tool that permits knowledge workers to capture multitude of bits and pieces of information, particularly using Tablet PC features. On the server side, Share Point Server has been fully integrated with MS Office permitting collaboration, publishing and controlled distribution available to ordinary users without having to learn/install additional pieces of software. To get the full benefit of Office System, one should have many of the server products installed too. In a sense, this upgrade of MS Office targets organisations (in fact, large organisations) that are focused towards productivity, process improvement, performance improvement, scalability and security...
ebizQ :: Informatica Aligns With IBM, webMethods
...Informatica Corporation, a provider of data integration and business intelligence software, has reached an agreement with IBM under which the two companies will jointly integrate, market and sell business intelligence solutions worldwide. The agreement will help Informatica more tightly integrate its entire product line with key IBM hardware and software platforms, "enabling customers to significantly speed development, increase effectiveness and reduce the cost of their integration and business intelligence environments," Informatica says.
The new agreement enhances the companies' existing relationship, and will enable collaborative solutions to be implemented as an integrated whole. "This will empower customers to more efficiently utilize their full range of information assets, deliver comprehensive business intelligence to wider sets of knowledge workers, and respond more quickly and intelligently to business opportunities and change," Informatica notes...
K-Collector