Final answer:
Various factors, including technology advancements and globalization, have led to an increased demand for high-skilled labor. Outsourcing, mergers, and offshoring have also affected job availability for skilled workers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The demand for high-skilled labor has been increasing due to various factors. Firstly, the explosion in new information and communications technologies has made high-skilled workers, such as business managers, consultants, and design professionals, more productive. These technologies have also facilitated globalization, leading to an increase in international trade and more opportunities for high-skilled workers to sell their services worldwide. Additionally, foreign trade has created a larger supply of similarly skilled workers, resulting in lower-skilled workers having to compete with them.
Furthermore, the outsourcing of jobs, both in the manufacturing and white-collar sectors, has reduced the number of high-paying positions available, affecting both blue-collar and low-level clerical positions. The streamlining of companies and industries through mergers has also led to a reduction in supervisory and managerial positions. Finally, highly educated skilled workers, such as computer programmers, have experienced job loss due to offshoring.
In summary, the increased usage of project management can be attributed to factors such as the advancements in technology, globalization, outsourcing, and changes in the job market.