Speaking to 150 business, community, and government leaders yesterday at Washington Place, Rifkin said he believes new technology will put millions of people out of work.

"Even the cheapest labor won't be less than the new technology to replace them," Rifkin said. But he proposed putting these people back to work through volunteerism, and to compensate them with pay vouchers. That would put money into the hands of consumers who can then buy goods and services, he said.

Rifkin's speech yesterday was part of a luncheon to kick-off a two-day conference on volunteerism. The "Forging the Creative Cooperative: Business + Government + Community" conference, starting today at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, is sponsored by Gov. Ben Cayetano and aims to create a plan to promote volunteerism in Hawaii for the next century.

Cayetano wants to take the Hawaii plan to Philadelphia in April, when President Clinton and former presidents George Bush, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, and former first ladies Nancy Reagan and Lady Bird Johnson will lead the call for greater volunteerism at the nationwide "Citizens Service Summit."

Hawaii already is training young people in volunteerism. Using federal money from the Learn and Serve America program, Kapiolani Community College has enabled more than 1,200 students to provide 25,000 hours of service since 1995.

"We are clearly a national leader in this area," said Bob Franco, associate professor of anthropology at Kapiolani Community College.

These efforts have included having nursing and health science students working 20 hours a semester to help the home-bound elderly, mentally disabled patients, mothers with drug addictions, HIV-positive patients, and children needing help learning to read.

Younger students, up to high school age, have been involved in the Serve and Learn America program since 1994. These efforts have helped the Hawaii Food Bank, blood drive, and recycling efforts, said Judy McCoy, a state Department of Education administrator.

Rifkin, who is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the conference this morning, is the author of "The End of Work" and 13 books on the impact of technological changes on the economy, the work force, society and the environment. His books have been translated into 15 languages. He is also the founder and president of the Foundation on Economic Trends in Washington D.C.