A challenging aspect of greater automation in manufacturing and services is the question of where new jobs will come from to keep all able minds gainfully employed. Traditional manufacturing firms and even computer makers have been laying off people to reduce costs and, in conjunction with automation, to raise per-worker productivity.
Business spokesmen claim that the bulk of new jobs will grow out of small businesses. The NII can contribute to this growth in at least two ways. First, it can help those seeking jobs to learn of and reach those offering jobs. But probably better than this, it can facilitate the creation of new companies, and subsequently, the creation of new jobs.
The NII can help job seekers in finding jobs. Information services that list jobs in an appropriately searchable way could greatly ease the often long and frustrating search process that many job seekers go through. It is even possible that sophisticated software agents could perform some of the introductory informational transactions between job applicant and employer.
More exciting from a SP point of view is the prospect of using video-conferencing systems to support the kinds of interpersonal contact that lead to team building and formation of small businesses, only at a distance. Small companies often target niche markets where specialization and close matches of employee knowledge to the company's business are key to success. The chances of finding the right people for a viable small business are enhanced if the community of participants is not limited to a local geographical area. However, working with strangers at a distance requires a degree of trust that must be established through relatively intimate kinds of communication. Email and telephone communication may be sufficient in some contexts to establish such a level of trust, but high-quality video conferencing can inspire trust more effectively.