The Third Wave; a book review

Every now and then you read a book that stays with you for while after you finish it.

"...It is ironic that we spend so much energy as a nation debating how to deal with refugees arriving illegally in leaky boats…migration laws cannot protect our jobs from keen workers who remain in their own countries..."

The Third Wave: Micro-globalism and the coming employment crisis in Australia is a compilation of Scott Linden Jones’ theories on the future of employment in a global community. 

Currently in Australia, with some of the highest living standards and wages in the global economy, big and small businesses alike are exploring ways to reduce labour costs. We have seen our manufacturing industry pummelled as business shifts operations to countries that allow them to reduce costs and maximise profits. Our leaders are well aware of this and are talking up policy around these issues.

Thanks to technology, the increasing ease of access to a large body of skilled and inexpensive offshore labour is an enticing proposition for any capitalist. The trend towards offshore labour is one far less heralded in the political debate as we head towards our election.  Government and educational institutions need to start paying more attention.
 
Jones writes of his predictions and the impact that the brave new world of “micro-globalism” is having on the Australian economy. It is a world of both huge threat and equally huge opportunity, but as a country we need to start being hyper-aware of the situation that is unfolding; switch gears and start preparing our young people for potentially a very different employment landscape in the not too distant future.

It is not all doom and gloom, although halfway through the book you’re beginning to wonder if Jones sees any light at the end of the tunnel. He makes some very insightful and humbling observations about our deservedness with respect to the current crop of political leaders, our expectations and feelings of entitlement as a nation and our comparative work ethic.

He also explores ethics themselves and the place they will have in an increasingly competitive business landscape. What power will ethics hold over simple and effective capitalism?
 
A must read for Australians seeking to understand the new global landscape of economics and anyone with a position of influence over the future of our young people.