Economic globalisation and the future of work (SACE Stage 2 Society and Culture)
“Analyse how economic globalisation and technological change are reshaping work, employment and livelihoods in contemporary Australian society.”
Economic globalisation is the growing integration of national economies through trade, investment, finance and global supply chains. It has reshaped work in Australia by exposing local industries to global competition, shifting employment from manufacturing toward services, and allowing companies to move production to lower-cost countries. Combined with technological change such as automation, digital platforms and artificial intelligence, it has created the gig economy, more insecure work, and demand for new skills. The consequences are uneven: some workers gain new opportunities while others face job loss, insecurity and pressure on wages.
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What this dot point is asking
You must explain economic globalisation, analyse how it and technology reshape work, and assess the consequences for Australian workers, with examples.
Economic globalisation
Economic globalisation is the deepening connection between national economies. Goods, services, money, investment and labour move across borders more freely than ever, linked by trade agreements, multinational companies and global supply chains. A product sold in Australia may be designed in one country, assembled from parts made in several others, and financed globally. This integration brings cheaper goods and new markets, but it also means local jobs and industries are exposed to competition and decisions made far away.
Economic globalisation is the increasing integration of national economies through international trade, foreign investment, global finance and worldwide supply chains, so that economic activity is organised across rather than within national borders.
The changing structure of work
Globalisation has changed what Australians do for work. Much manufacturing has declined as production moved offshore to lower-cost countries, including the end of local car manufacturing. Employment has shifted toward services, knowledge work and care work. This structural shift advantages workers with education and adaptable skills, while disadvantaging those whose industries have contracted, often concentrated in particular regions. The result is a more globally connected but also more unequal labour market.
The forces reshaping work are not globalisation alone but globalisation combined with technological change. Automation and digital platforms make it possible to relocate, replace or restructure work in ways that would not exist without technology. Strong answers analyse the two together rather than treating them separately.
The gig economy and insecure work
A major change is the rise of the gig economy, where people work as independent contractors taking on short tasks arranged through digital platforms rather than holding permanent jobs. This brings flexibility but also insecurity: gig workers often lack the leave, superannuation and protections of employees. More broadly, casual and contract work has grown, shifting risk from employers onto workers. This raises contemporary debates about fairness, rights and what counts as a secure livelihood.
Automation and the future of work
Automation and artificial intelligence are changing which tasks humans do. Routine and predictable work is most exposed to replacement, while work requiring creativity, judgement and human interaction is, for now, less so. This does not necessarily mean fewer jobs overall, but it means changing jobs and a premium on adaptable skills and lifelong learning. The pace and fairness of this transition is a key question for the future of work in Australia.
Take the change
The closure of Australian car manufacturing under global competition.
Identify who loses
Manufacturing workers and the regions that depended on those plants face job loss and economic decline.
Identify who gains
Consumers gain cheaper imported vehicles, and workers with transferable or new-economy skills can move into growing service and knowledge sectors.
State the balanced conclusion
The same change disadvantages some groups and regions while benefiting others, so the analysis weighs winners against losers rather than judging globalisation as simply good or bad for work.
Do not present globalisation and technology as either purely good or purely bad for work. The honest analysis is that effects are uneven: gains for some workers, regions and consumers, and losses for others. Examiners reward answers that weigh both, identify who wins and who loses, and support the analysis with real Australian examples.
Australian examples
The closure of Australian car manufacturing illustrates how global competition reshapes regional employment. The growth of food delivery and ride platforms shows the gig economy in action and the debate over worker rights it has produced. The expansion of remote and digital work, accelerated during the COVID-19 period, shows technology changing where and how work happens. Skills shortages in some sectors alongside job loss in others show the uneven nature of the change.
Connection to the rest of the course
This dot point applies globalisation specifically to work and connects it to technology and to social change. It links to inequality, since the changing world of work creates new winners and losers, and to social movements, since unions and campaigns respond to insecure work. The future of work is a strong contemporary issue for the folio and external investigation, with abundant Australian data on employment, the gig economy and automation to analyse from multiple perspectives.
Assessment-style questions
Questions on this dot point, each with a worked answer, written by ExamExplained. Society and Culture has no written exam, so use them to check your understanding before your assessment tasks.
Practice8 marksSource: data shows the share of Australian workers in casual, contract or gig arrangements has grown, while permanent full-time work has declined as a proportion of jobs. (a) Identify what the source shows about the changing nature of work. (b) Using sociological concepts, explain how economic globalisation and technology have driven this change. (c) Suggest one consequence of this shift for workers.Show worked answer →
This is a source/data analysis item marked on knowledge, analysis and evaluation.
- (a) Read the source (2 marks)
- It shows a shift toward more insecure, flexible work and away from permanent full-time employment, indicating risk is moving from employers onto workers.
- (b) Explain the drivers (4 marks)
- Economic globalisation exposes local industries to global competition and lets firms relocate or restructure production, while technology, especially digital platforms, enables the gig economy by arranging short tasks online. The two forces act together to make casual and contract work cheaper and easier to organise. Naming economic globalisation, the gig economy and technological change earns the marks.
- (c) Consequence (2 marks)
- Workers gain flexibility but lose security: many gig and casual workers lack leave, superannuation and the protections of permanent employees, increasing income insecurity.
Practice12 marksAnalyse how economic globalisation and technological change are reshaping work in Australia, and evaluate the claim that these changes benefit some groups while disadvantaging others.Show worked answer →
This is an extended-response item marked on knowledge, analysis and communication.
- Define
- Economic globalisation is the integration of national economies through trade, investment, finance and global supply chains.
- Changing structure of work
- Manufacturing has declined as production moved offshore (the end of local car manufacturing), employment has shifted to services and knowledge work, and globalisation and technology act together to relocate, replace or restructure work.
- Insecure work and automation
- The gig economy and casual work shift risk onto workers; automation most exposes routine tasks while favouring adaptable skills and lifelong learning.
- Evaluate winners and losers
- Educated, adaptable workers and consumers gain, while workers in contracting industries and regions, and those in insecure gig work, lose. A top answer weighs both, identifies who wins and who loses, and supports the judgement with Australian examples.