How Post-Industrialism May Affect the Global Economic Stage

The west enjoys its economic prosperity because of its dominance on the service and manufacturing sector. These first world nations can easily and more efficiently transform raw materials and manpower into useful goods, at a rate that tops every other place on the planet. We can say that today's developed world is largely industrial in nature and on the other hand, the poorer, less-developed nations of the world are still engaged in agricultural endeavors.
But then, globalization is now changing the face of the world economy, especially with the advent of the internet, which has enable the introduction of outsourcing on a massive scale, unparalleled by anything else in the past. Because of this, manufacturing jobs are moved from countries that have soaring labor costs to countries that offer cheaper labor of similar quality.
Western post-industrialism could be the best answer with respect to its problem arising from an aging population, because information and technology jobs are not very dependent on hard labor. Instead, it depends on knowledge and intellect; something that one can still have even past retirement age.
The East that is historically known as the poorer of the two, can have a better fighting chance in as far as improving social services, education, and virtually all other sectors of their local society. The issue of economic equality is something that concerns every person on Earth. In light of this economic paradigm shift brought about by the post-industrializing West and an industrializing east, then both will have an equally powerful bargaining chip in the international arena.
It is hoped that because of this, international laws will become fairer to all parties concerned. Because of a more equitable distribution of economic clout, each party will think of the other more than they did decades ago. After all, one needs something from the other, and strained relations will do nothing to ensure that. But then, this does not have to mean that they will be more predisposed into engaging in wars just because of this perceived economic pride. Actually, the reverse may be true.
Because of this dichotomy of economic roles, countries will become more interdependent on each other, so much so that waging a war will assure mutual destruction. But then, here lies the problem: what about those people who may get left behind? What about those ones who are not capable of developing or changing their current skill set so that they could adapt? That is a question that has perplexed everyone up to this point.

Green Jobs and Hiring From the Smart Grid

America's Smart Grid is set to change our lives and the lives of our children. Today's energy grid is 'dumb' - it essentially has remained stagnant for the past hundred years. It doesn't adapt to the needs of homeowners and businesses based on their demand for energy; it simply pumps out a standardized amount of electricity, much of it going to waste. Our current energy grid doesn't make use of new eco-friendly technologies like solar and wind - it still relies on harmful and waste producing coal and oil.
The Federal Government has pumped billions of dollars into the new Smart Grid to turn things around on a number of levels. The grid will be intelligent for one: fluctuating the amount of energy sent to various corners of the country based on the current demand while also integrating new sources of energy from solar and wind power. This new system of energy distribution will not only conserve valuable electricity, but also will save our country billions of dollars in wasted energy costs over the next ten years.
There's another huge benefit to the smart grid as well - green jobs. Analysts have forecasted the Grid's job producing effect due to the large amount of federal stimulus money is going towards training a new generation of workers who are proficient in utilizing the technology.
Just like how a previous generation of workers became invaluable due to their expertise in nuclear and chemical engineering, this new generation of smart grid technologists will be equally as important. Today, one of the highest paying jobs in the country is a chemical engineer - within the next decade it will certainly be an engineer who specializes in some niche within the vast array of grid technologies.
There also will certainly be a plethora of small and medium-sized businesses that evolve and revolve around the smart grid ecosystem; providing services and products that make the grid even more effective in each local environment. For these businesses, adept grid technologists will be in high demand, creating a healthy and competitive market for talent in the sector.
Finding and hiring this valuable new generation of green talent will be another challenge for the government and businesses alike. Competition will be fierce for the brightest minds in the field, and companies and projects will succeed or fail based on their ability to secure the best. Not only will higher pay grades, perks and benefits provide ammunition to hire talent, but also a company's ability to use cutting-edge technology to make hires. Smart Grid organizations that utilize applicant tracking and hiring programs that are able to intelligently seek and attract workers in specific sectors will be able to gain an edge in the field. These will be the individuals and companies that shape the future of energy.