The term post-industrialism refers to a transition from one form of society to another; the original society being an industrial society, primarily dominated by forms of specialized physical labor, and the latter being a format dominated by services and knowledge. An industrial society has many unique and definitive characteristics that separate it from a post-industrial society. Some of these characteristics include heavy use of machinery in large factories; the use of fossil fuels to power machines; the specialization of jobs allowing for increased productivity, which led to urban expansion. As for class dynamics, there are/were few people at the "top", who own the factors of production, and many front-line blue-collar workers at the "bottom". The huge gaps in income, status, and control between these two groups have produced an imbalance of power; considered a negative aspect of industrialism. With industrialism, work is specialized and it has been said that these workers are thus alienated from the goods they helped produce. In contrast, a post-industrial society marks the transition from a society based on the mass production of goods to one based on the provision of services. In this type of society, capital moves from bodies and heavy machines to knowledge, because with knowledge comes creativity, a force apparently responsible for economic growth in a post-industrial society. When it comes to creativity, it can arise from the skills of an engineer, a scientist, an artist, etc. The emphasis is on the development of human capital and access to some form of specialized education. This type of knowledge-based economy logically offers more opportunities to those with a high level of education, create...... middle of paper ......s Canada created in this post- industrial. Are the jobs made up of a small number of high-end, well-paying service jobs that require significant investment in human capital or are they low-end service jobs that require minimal education and training? Works Cited Krahn, H., Lowe, G. Hughes, K. (2008). Work, industry and Canadian society. (5th ed.) Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd. HRSDC Labor Statistics Division. (2009). Canadian Labor Market at a Glance 2007. Ottawa, Ontario: Statistics Canada. HRSDC Labor Statistics Division. (2007). Looking ahead: Ten-year outlook for the Canadian labor market (2006 – 2015). Ottawa, ON: Retrieved from http://www.rhdcc.gc.ca/eng/publications_resources/research/categories/labour_market_e/sp_615_10_06/supplyCritoph, Ursule. Et al. (2010). Sociology of work and industry. Alberta, California: Athabasca University.