A little knowledge is a dangerous thing: Getting below the surface of the growth of 'knowledge work' in Australia

Abstract

This article critically addresses the claim that there has been a striking growth in 'knowledge work' in advanced economies. Using the Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force Survey, we examine occupational change from 1986 to 2000 to evaluate the support for this claim, Researchers have usually relied on aggregate level data to justify the presence of a burgeoning knowledge-based workforce, but we contend that we must'get below the surface' of the major occupational groups by disaggregating the data. This enables us to demonstrate that a substantial component of the apparent growth in knowledge work is accounted for by an increase in low-level information handling occupations rather th..