Labor In The 19th Century
Labor workforce from the 19th Century to the 20th Century and the forces of Change
Introduction
The focus of this research is the outlook of the American workforce composition difference from the 19th century to the 20th Century and the forces of change. Throughout this research analysis, one will be able to see some but not all of the different changes in labor and the forces of those changes. The shifting of labor will always be something that is happening throughout the very existence of itself. What I believe is important is counting the changes and analyzing the improvements that the workforce has underwent in these two centuries and venturing on to analyze how we have improved and how we can improve today. The many forces of changes …show more content…
that have occurred throughout these two centuries have led to extreme labor shift and most likely will continue to this day as our demographics expand, more technological improvements and new sources of energy continue to emerge. I am most certain to believe that these components of change will most likely change the workforce labor once again.
Introduction PT 2
The industrial revolution of the 19th century was a turning point in the American workforce that demanded new and efficient ways for production. One may ask how this particular century has caused such pivotal changes to the 20th century. I can’t answer this question with all of the statistical data that I have found but I look to the explainer and the creator of Scientific Management, Frederick Taylor. Taylor’s published work defines the principals of Scientific Management and describes how the application of the scientific method for the management of workers could greatly improve productivity to meet the needs of the demand for efficient and fast ways for production. Before the work of Frederick Taylor and the Scientific Management, work was performed by skilled craftsmen who made their own decisions on how much to produce as well as how their work was performed. Taylor expanded upon ideas dealing with interests in worker productivity. Taylor performed many experiments that he called time studies, which led him to assume that mindless tasks could be planned to dramatically increase productivity. Time studies can be characterized by “the use of stopwatches to time a workers sequence of motions, with the goal of determining the one best way to perform a job”, (NetMBA 1). Other Time Studies also include the use of a shovel, Pig Iron, Brick laying and the science of shoveling. Taylor later implemented 4 principles of scientific management dealing with increasing productivity levels which were implemented in factories such as Henry Fords’ automobile factories. The 4 principles led to the basic human automation that reigned from the 1950’s to the 1960’s.
It wasn’t until the 20th century where economic changes brought about innovations that led to the increase in the size of average market and industry. Over the course of the 20th century, the composition of the labor force shifted from industries dominated by primary production occupations such as farmers to those dominated by technical such as service workers. At this time only 38% of the labor force worked on farms. By the end of the 20th century, 38% dropped to 3%. Service industries were the growth sector during the 20th century, jumping from 31 percent of all workers in 1900 to78 percent in 1999.
Forces of Change
As I looked through many statistical data, one major thing that I thought was what were the underlying changes of the workforce in the 20th century and what were the forces leading to those changes. I instantly knew that it was impossible to have just one leading force to the many changes that occurred in the 20th century. It is hard to look at just one force or action and accept it as the pinnacle point to changes in the workforce. With this being said, my research has shown that technology, technological improvements, electricity, and changes in demographics of the population have all been forces of change and I am most certain that there are many more that I will not have time to discover and research.
Technology and Technological improvements
Machines started to make an appearance in the late 1800 and early 1900’s.
Labor was needed to operate the machines but it required proper skills and training to run production by using special machine equipment. At this particular time, labor was very gruesome compared to the 20th century in The United States. Human Automation in the workforce was dominant to meet the demands of increased productivity. Technology’s such as the Assembly line allowed the employers to push employees to work harder every day to speed up production as much as possible. Henry Ford, known as the entrepreneur and creator of the Assembly line used this technique to make employees work harder for little wages that barely met living standards and longer work days. Donkin states that at the time of 1911-1912, “78,440 Model Ts were made by 6, 867 workers and by 1912-1913 after the publication of Taylors Science and Management, the workforce was able to double the number of cars” (Donkin 148). Technology in the 20th century was a major development from the 19th century that brought economic changes. The presence of technological improvements was present and more widely available than ever before. The list of technological improvements range from communication devices, measuring devices, computer controlled equipment, the x-ray, wind tunnel, circuit breaker, transistor, Geiger counter, laser, neon lamp and the atomic clock are just a few. Electrical powered machines became present and air conditioning, …show more content…
heating and air filtration were common in the work place. For the first time, technological improvements assisted in the improvement of the work environment by providing safety to workers due to technology replacing workers in some of the most dangerous tasks. Medical advances extended the life span of a worker and allowed a worker to work longer with less debilitating illnesses. Injured workers were able to return to work sooner with new drugs and medical procedures.
Benefits and Compensation
Organized labor has once fluctuated from very poor to flourishing in years of economic turmoil and stability.
The causes of the fluctuations have been analyzed in my previous research. Technology, Strikes, wars, Dissension among ranks, and employer’s outlook on labor has led to many dramatic changes in organized labor throughout America. Organized labor from the turn of the 20th century has improved Benefits and Compensation in the American workforce. The 1900 consisted of a per capita income (in 1999 dollars) of $ 4,200 and 33, 700 in 1999. The average brick layer earned $0.750 per 44 hours of work in 1913 and later increased to $1.250 by 1920. Wages and salaries heightened the economic period of the 20th century. Benefits became a major part the employee compensation at the end of the 20th century. In the mid 19th century, the average American worked…“10 hour shifts, 6 days a week, for wages barley enough to survive” (Organized labor 1). At this time Hunter states that…”government unemployment and disability insurance did not exist, so unions provided them. Employers did not extend health and life insurance to workers, so unions did” (Hunter 1). Statistic show that benefits accounted for a little more than 1 percent of total compensation in 1929. Payment by employers for injuries or in some cases compensation for occupational diseases were not known to the American labor Force. While compensation was zero, most laborers worked for wages that were barely enough to survive.
Employees injured on the job in 1900, was out of work and their only option was to sue for damages. In most cases, the lawsuits were generally unsuccessful and an estimate of 15% of workers injured on the job were able to obtain compensation under common law. By the beginning of the 20th century, there were a number of government programs that assisted those injured on the job such as Long-term disability payments, worker’s compensation and other provisions and contracts that protected the employees in 1999 that did not exist in 1900.
Women Labor Participation and Child Labor
With the rise of factories in the 19 century, about 40 percent of the workers in the cities were low-wage laborers and seamstresses in clothing factories. Children, women, and poor immigrants were commonly employed to run machines. Female labor participation in the 19th century of the labor market were few compared to the labor participation that exists today or even in the beginning of the 20th century. 19% of women of working age participated in the labor force in the 19th century as opposed to 60% in 1999. When looking at the difference between the labor participation percentages of the 19th century and the year 1999, I speculated on how time could lead to an exponential increase in female labor participation. Looking back to the 19th century, one can see the many restrictions women had in those days. Restrictions include cultural practices, longstanding religious views and educational traditions. These three restrictions held women back from entry and participation in the workforce. Other reasons for less labor participation in the 19th century include women economic dependency on men and poor-socio economic status. Child labor during the 19th century was very common and accounted for 6 percent of the labor force. Children worked in dismal conditions such as a factory worker Families depended on child labor for income needed to survive. There were no laws that prohibited child labor until the 20th century. Laws that were enacted by the Federal and state government regulated child labor. Laws prohibited full-time workers under the age of 16.
Conclusion
The late 19th century and the 20th century brought substantial industrial growth. The technological developments such as the assembly line method revolutionized the work force and changed the way employers hired employees. Although the scientific method of Science and Management has improved productivity, the drawbacks include human automation, the lack of task identity, skill variety and other missing pieces that allowed a more gruesome workplace for American workers. One can question whether Human Automation continues to reign throughout today. I believe that it does in different fields of work and on a small scale. One thing that must not be forgotten is the workers contribution to the full process of creating a product or delivering services. I think that if we look to this statement throughout the creation of new technologies then we can better the workforce.
Works Cited
Donkin, Richard. Blood Sweat & Tears: The Evolution of Work. New York/London: Texere, 2001.
Hunter, Robert (1999, Aug 24). Organized Labor’s decline: A Diagnosis. Retrieved Nov. 8 2010 from http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=2327&print=yes
NetMBA. (2002-2010). Frederick Taylor and Scientific Management. Retrieved Nov. 22. 2010 from http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/scientific/
U.S History Online Textbook. (2010, Nov 23). Organized Labor. Page 1. Retrieved November 18th, 2010 from http://www.ushistory.org/us/37.asp
Report on the American Workforce. (2001). (pages 1-8). Retreived Nov. 8 2010 from http://www.bls.gov/opub/rtaw/pdf/rtaw2001.pdf
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Introduction
The focus of this research is the outlook of the American workforce composition difference from the 19th century to the 20th Century and the forces of change. Throughout this research analysis, one will be able to see some but not all of the different changes in labor and the forces of those changes. The shifting of labor will always be something that is happening throughout the very existence of itself. What I believe is important is counting the changes and analyzing the improvements that the workforce has underwent in these two centuries and venturing on to analyze how we have improved and how we can improve today. The many forces of changes …show more content…
that have occurred throughout these two centuries have led to extreme labor shift and most likely will continue to this day as our demographics expand, more technological improvements and new sources of energy continue to emerge. I am most certain to believe that these components of change will most likely change the workforce labor once again.
Introduction PT 2
The industrial revolution of the 19th century was a turning point in the American workforce that demanded new and efficient ways for production. One may ask how this particular century has caused such pivotal changes to the 20th century. I can’t answer this question with all of the statistical data that I have found but I look to the explainer and the creator of Scientific Management, Frederick Taylor. Taylor’s published work defines the principals of Scientific Management and describes how the application of the scientific method for the management of workers could greatly improve productivity to meet the needs of the demand for efficient and fast ways for production. Before the work of Frederick Taylor and the Scientific Management, work was performed by skilled craftsmen who made their own decisions on how much to produce as well as how their work was performed. Taylor expanded upon ideas dealing with interests in worker productivity. Taylor performed many experiments that he called time studies, which led him to assume that mindless tasks could be planned to dramatically increase productivity. Time studies can be characterized by “the use of stopwatches to time a workers sequence of motions, with the goal of determining the one best way to perform a job”, (NetMBA 1). Other Time Studies also include the use of a shovel, Pig Iron, Brick laying and the science of shoveling. Taylor later implemented 4 principles of scientific management dealing with increasing productivity levels which were implemented in factories such as Henry Fords’ automobile factories. The 4 principles led to the basic human automation that reigned from the 1950’s to the 1960’s.
It wasn’t until the 20th century where economic changes brought about innovations that led to the increase in the size of average market and industry. Over the course of the 20th century, the composition of the labor force shifted from industries dominated by primary production occupations such as farmers to those dominated by technical such as service workers. At this time only 38% of the labor force worked on farms. By the end of the 20th century, 38% dropped to 3%. Service industries were the growth sector during the 20th century, jumping from 31 percent of all workers in 1900 to78 percent in 1999.
Forces of Change
As I looked through many statistical data, one major thing that I thought was what were the underlying changes of the workforce in the 20th century and what were the forces leading to those changes. I instantly knew that it was impossible to have just one leading force to the many changes that occurred in the 20th century. It is hard to look at just one force or action and accept it as the pinnacle point to changes in the workforce. With this being said, my research has shown that technology, technological improvements, electricity, and changes in demographics of the population have all been forces of change and I am most certain that there are many more that I will not have time to discover and research.
Technology and Technological improvements
Machines started to make an appearance in the late 1800 and early 1900’s.
Labor was needed to operate the machines but it required proper skills and training to run production by using special machine equipment. At this particular time, labor was very gruesome compared to the 20th century in The United States. Human Automation in the workforce was dominant to meet the demands of increased productivity. Technology’s such as the Assembly line allowed the employers to push employees to work harder every day to speed up production as much as possible. Henry Ford, known as the entrepreneur and creator of the Assembly line used this technique to make employees work harder for little wages that barely met living standards and longer work days. Donkin states that at the time of 1911-1912, “78,440 Model Ts were made by 6, 867 workers and by 1912-1913 after the publication of Taylors Science and Management, the workforce was able to double the number of cars” (Donkin 148). Technology in the 20th century was a major development from the 19th century that brought economic changes. The presence of technological improvements was present and more widely available than ever before. The list of technological improvements range from communication devices, measuring devices, computer controlled equipment, the x-ray, wind tunnel, circuit breaker, transistor, Geiger counter, laser, neon lamp and the atomic clock are just a few. Electrical powered machines became present and air conditioning, …show more content…
heating and air filtration were common in the work place. For the first time, technological improvements assisted in the improvement of the work environment by providing safety to workers due to technology replacing workers in some of the most dangerous tasks. Medical advances extended the life span of a worker and allowed a worker to work longer with less debilitating illnesses. Injured workers were able to return to work sooner with new drugs and medical procedures.
Benefits and Compensation
Organized labor has once fluctuated from very poor to flourishing in years of economic turmoil and stability.
The causes of the fluctuations have been analyzed in my previous research. Technology, Strikes, wars, Dissension among ranks, and employer’s outlook on labor has led to many dramatic changes in organized labor throughout America. Organized labor from the turn of the 20th century has improved Benefits and Compensation in the American workforce. The 1900 consisted of a per capita income (in 1999 dollars) of $ 4,200 and 33, 700 in 1999. The average brick layer earned $0.750 per 44 hours of work in 1913 and later increased to $1.250 by 1920. Wages and salaries heightened the economic period of the 20th century. Benefits became a major part the employee compensation at the end of the 20th century. In the mid 19th century, the average American worked…“10 hour shifts, 6 days a week, for wages barley enough to survive” (Organized labor 1). At this time Hunter states that…”government unemployment and disability insurance did not exist, so unions provided them. Employers did not extend health and life insurance to workers, so unions did” (Hunter 1). Statistic show that benefits accounted for a little more than 1 percent of total compensation in 1929. Payment by employers for injuries or in some cases compensation for occupational diseases were not known to the American labor Force. While compensation was zero, most laborers worked for wages that were barely enough to survive.
Employees injured on the job in 1900, was out of work and their only option was to sue for damages. In most cases, the lawsuits were generally unsuccessful and an estimate of 15% of workers injured on the job were able to obtain compensation under common law. By the beginning of the 20th century, there were a number of government programs that assisted those injured on the job such as Long-term disability payments, worker’s compensation and other provisions and contracts that protected the employees in 1999 that did not exist in 1900.
Women Labor Participation and Child Labor
With the rise of factories in the 19 century, about 40 percent of the workers in the cities were low-wage laborers and seamstresses in clothing factories. Children, women, and poor immigrants were commonly employed to run machines. Female labor participation in the 19th century of the labor market were few compared to the labor participation that exists today or even in the beginning of the 20th century. 19% of women of working age participated in the labor force in the 19th century as opposed to 60% in 1999. When looking at the difference between the labor participation percentages of the 19th century and the year 1999, I speculated on how time could lead to an exponential increase in female labor participation. Looking back to the 19th century, one can see the many restrictions women had in those days. Restrictions include cultural practices, longstanding religious views and educational traditions. These three restrictions held women back from entry and participation in the workforce. Other reasons for less labor participation in the 19th century include women economic dependency on men and poor-socio economic status. Child labor during the 19th century was very common and accounted for 6 percent of the labor force. Children worked in dismal conditions such as a factory worker Families depended on child labor for income needed to survive. There were no laws that prohibited child labor until the 20th century. Laws that were enacted by the Federal and state government regulated child labor. Laws prohibited full-time workers under the age of 16.
Conclusion
The late 19th century and the 20th century brought substantial industrial growth. The technological developments such as the assembly line method revolutionized the work force and changed the way employers hired employees. Although the scientific method of Science and Management has improved productivity, the drawbacks include human automation, the lack of task identity, skill variety and other missing pieces that allowed a more gruesome workplace for American workers. One can question whether Human Automation continues to reign throughout today. I believe that it does in different fields of work and on a small scale. One thing that must not be forgotten is the workers contribution to the full process of creating a product or delivering services. I think that if we look to this statement throughout the creation of new technologies then we can better the workforce.
Works Cited
Donkin, Richard. Blood Sweat & Tears: The Evolution of Work. New York/London: Texere, 2001.
Hunter, Robert (1999, Aug 24). Organized Labor’s decline: A Diagnosis. Retrieved Nov. 8 2010 from http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=2327&print=yes
NetMBA. (2002-2010). Frederick Taylor and Scientific Management. Retrieved Nov. 22. 2010 from http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/scientific/
U.S History Online Textbook. (2010, Nov 23). Organized Labor. Page 1. Retrieved November 18th, 2010 from http://www.ushistory.org/us/37.asp
Report on the American Workforce. (2001). (pages 1-8). Retreived Nov. 8 2010 from http://www.bls.gov/opub/rtaw/pdf/rtaw2001.pdf
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