Workers who produce knowledge: A steady increase, 1900 to 1970

Abstract

years ago Machlup investigated the "Production and Distribution of Knowledge in the United States"1. Part of his study focused on the trends in the composition of the labor force, with particular emphasis on the question of shifts from primarily physical workers to "brain" workers or knowledge-producing labor within major occupation groups. The results at the time were exciting, showing a spectacular change in the composition of the labor force in favor of "knowledge-producing" workers from 1900 to i960. We have now brought the statistic forward to 1970, so that we can examine whether or not this trend continues to be evident over the past decade. Information on the composition of the labor force is published periodically by several agencies. The Department of Labor in particular compiles frequent statistics showing changes in the composition of the labor force by broad occupational categories. Our study concentrates on the changes in the growth of the number and proportion of "knowledge-producing" workers. In order to save the reader the trouble of consulting the earlier publication, we would like to restate broadly what we mean by "knowledge" and "knowledge production": '^'knowledge' [is] anything that is known by somebody and 'production of knowledge' any activity by which someone learns of something he has not known before even if others have"2.