Just as the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century forever changed work and society, so too did the growth in information and communication technology that marked the twentieth. Electronic gizmos and gadgets are now ubiquitous. Perhaps nothing epitomizes this more than the personal computer—in less than two decades it has become an essential tool for the majority of workers.

This month's article, Working with computers, by Kathy Marshall, examines the extent of computer use by Canadian workers. In addition to delineating those most likely to use a computer at their job, Ms. Marshall looks at how often and for what the computer is used. One often-overlooked aspect of computer use is how people acquire the required skills-some interesting differences are apparent between public- and private-sector employees and between employees and the self-employed.