New Technology and the Quality of Working Life in New Zealand

Abstract

The Waikato Management School has a FoRST contract to investigate a wide range of social and economic effects of new technology. In order to assess the impact o f new technology on the quality of working life a postal questionnaire was distributed to 1800 adults selected at random across the whole of New Zealand. The present findings are preliminary, as only 274 usable responses have been received by Conference time, and they are continuing to arrive. The overwhelming majority of respondents (some 83%) say they are generally satisfied with their paid jobs, despite more than 70% reporting that pressure has increased. Those workers who have been affected by technological change are substantially more likely to say that their work is now more interesting, in addition to being more often among the better paid.