What Are We Going to Do?

[sealybobo]

It doesn't make sense for America to try to enlarge manufacturing as a portion of the economy. That's mainly because of technology.

When we think of manufacturing jobs, we imagine assembly lines populated by millions of blue-collar workers who had well-paying jobs with good benefits. I recently toured a U.S. factory with 2 employees and 400 computerized robots. Factory jobs are vanishing all over the world. Even China is losing them.

Economists took a look at employment trends and found that between 1995 and 2002 22 million manufacturing jobs disappeared. The US wasn't even the biggest loser. We lost 11%, the Japanese lost 16%. Brazil 20%, and China 15% drop.

A century ago 30% of Americans worked on a farm. New technologies have all made farming much more productive.

America also used to have lots of elevator operators, telephone operators, bank tellers and service-station attendants. Remember? Most have been replaced by technology. Supermarket check-out clerks are being replaced by automatic scanners. The Internet has taken over the routine tasks of travel agents, real estate brokers, stock brokers and even accountants. With digitization and high-speed data networks a lot of back office work can now be done more cheaply abroad.

Read on for more about jobs, manufacturing and the economy in our special report, "Made In America."

 

[Darkwind]

It doesn't make sense for America to try to enlarge manufacturing as a portion of the economy. That's mainly because of technology.

When we think of manufacturing jobs, we imagine assembly lines populated by millions of blue-collar workers who had well-paying jobs with good benefits. I recently toured a U.S. factory with 2 employees and 400 computerized robots. Factory jobs are vanishing all over the world. Even China is losing them.

Economists took a look at employment trends and found that between 1995 and 2002 22 million manufacturing jobs disappeared. The US wasn't even the biggest loser. We lost 11%, the Japanese lost 16%. Brazil 20%, and China 15% drop.

A century ago 30% of Americans worked on a farm. New technologies have all made farming much more productive.

America also used to have lots of elevator operators, telephone operators, bank tellers and service-station attendants. Remember? Most have been replaced by technology. Supermarket check-out clerks are being replaced by automatic scanners. The Internet has taken over the routine tasks of travel agents, real estate brokers, stock brokers and even accountants. With digitization and high-speed data networks a lot of back office work can now be done more cheaply abroad.

Read on for more about jobs, manufacturing and the economy in our special report, "Made In America."

What did buggy makers do when the Auto became popular?

Assembly lines are not the ONLY form of manufacturing.

Things will always need to be created, built, and assembled; many cannot by robots.

I'm not making light of the problem. But we need more than paying someone 40 per hour to turn one nut every 20 seconds for 40 hour a week.

 

[Crepitus]

It doesn't make sense for America to try to enlarge manufacturing as a portion of the economy. That's mainly because of technology.

When we think of manufacturing jobs, we imagine assembly lines populated by millions of blue-collar workers who had well-paying jobs with good benefits. I recently toured a U.S. factory with 2 employees and 400 computerized robots. Factory jobs are vanishing all over the world. Even China is losing them.

Economists took a look at employment trends and found that between 1995 and 2002 22 million manufacturing jobs disappeared. The US wasn't even the biggest loser. We lost 11%, the Japanese lost 16%. Brazil 20%, and China 15% drop.

A century ago 30% of Americans worked on a farm. New technologies have all made farming much more productive.

America also used to have lots of elevator operators, telephone operators, bank tellers and service-station attendants. Remember? Most have been replaced by technology. Supermarket check-out clerks are being replaced by automatic scanners. The Internet has taken over the routine tasks of travel agents, real estate brokers, stock brokers and even accountants. With digitization and high-speed data networks a lot of back office work can now be done more cheaply abroad.

Read on for more about jobs, manufacturing and the economy in our special report, "Made In America."

As has happened every time, going back at least to the industrial revolution, we will open up whole new sectors of the economy we didn't even know existed, much less needed.

 

[sealybobo]

What did buggy makers do when the Auto became popular?

Assembly lines are not the ONLY form of manufacturing.

Things will always need to be created, built, and assembled; many cannot by robots.

I'm not making light of the problem. But we need more than paying someone 40 per hour to turn one nut every 20 seconds for 40 hour a week.

Yea, I think these auto workers are doomed. They were almost completely destroyed in 2008 Great Recession but they held on. I don't know...

Actually I do know why they hire so many people. Back when my brother worked for Ford, I'll never forget what he told me. In HR they believed that making cars was just the excuse for hiring so many people. What did he mean by that? He was a mid level HR guy. How many people at Ford work in HR? I'm going to guess 1000. 500? Even if it's 250 people. What the fuck? None of them have anything to do with making cars. If Ford really wanted to make their cars more affordable they'd cut the HR department down to 125. And a lot of companies have outsourced HR and IT.

I know companies aren't in business to hire people. They're in business to make money. But hiring people is how they benefit society. One of the ways.

My advice to middle class people is have 1 or 2 kids. Fewer kids. In the future it's going to be harder to raise a kid and have him or her become a productive member of society. Fewer jobs.

But I'm sure we'll figure it out.

 

[Darkwind]

Yea, I think these auto workers are doomed. They were almost completely destroyed in 2008 Great Recession but they held on. I don't know...

Actually I do know why they hire so many people. Back when my brother worked for Ford, I'll never forget what he told me. In HR they believed that making cars was just the excuse for hiring so many people. What did he mean by that? He was a mid level HR guy. How many people at Ford work in HR? I'm going to guess 1000. 500? Even if it's 250 people. What the fuck? None of them have anything to do with making cars. If Ford really wanted to make their cars more affordable they'd cut the HR department down to 125. And a lot of companies have outsourced HR and IT.

I know companies aren't in business to hire people. They're in business to make money. But hiring people is how they benefit society. One of the ways.

My advice to middle class people is have 1 or 2 kids. Fewer kids. In the future it's going to be harder to raise a kid and have him or her become a productive member of society. Fewer jobs.

But I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Well, they don't hire people to benefit society. They hire people to improve their bottom line.

I think that the auto industry is a required industry for our national security, among other reasons. The wages are in My opinion, ridiculous but hey, if you can negotiate those numbers, more power to them.

As long as they are not in the public sector, I don't really have a dog in that fight. The price of new autos is already out of the reach of the middle class and the poor.

So, the question is going to remain an open one with regard to the auto industry.

What I DO believe, though, is that anything that is of vital national interest, chip making, weapons that keep us free, things of that nature, MUST be done here, in the US. By loyal citizens. Which is, in My opinion, about 96% of the population.

 

[Ralph Norton]

It doesn't make sense for America to try to enlarge manufacturing as a portion of the economy. That's mainly because of technology.

When we think of manufacturing jobs, we imagine assembly lines populated by millions of blue-collar workers who had well-paying jobs with good benefits. I recently toured a U.S. factory with 2 employees and 400 computerized robots. Factory jobs are vanishing all over the world. Even China is losing them.

Economists took a look at employment trends and found that between 1995 and 2002 22 million manufacturing jobs disappeared. The US wasn't even the biggest loser. We lost 11%, the Japanese lost 16%. Brazil 20%, and China 15% drop.

A century ago 30% of Americans worked on a farm. New technologies have all made farming much more productive.

America also used to have lots of elevator operators, telephone operators, bank tellers and service-station attendants. Remember? Most have been replaced by technology. Supermarket check-out clerks are being replaced by automatic scanners. The Internet has taken over the routine tasks of travel agents, real estate brokers, stock brokers and even accountants. With digitization and high-speed data networks a lot of back office work can now be done more cheaply abroad.

Read on for more about jobs, manufacturing and the economy in our special report, "Made In America."

The world needs ditch diggers too.
- Judge Smails

 

[sealybobo]

As has happened every time, going back at least to the industrial revolution, we will open up whole new sectors of the economy we didn't even know existed, much less needed.

What I find weird is that experts are telling us how important an education is. And how badly uneducated people are doing. Specifically whites. No I'm not suggesting they go to college but I don't like how Republicans are seeming to attack education like they attack everything else they don't like. When the fact is a person who goes to college isn't experiencing the same economic despair that uneducated whites are experiencing.

We can't help it if an idiot goes to college, racks up high student loans and then can't find a job that will pay enough that they can pay back what they owe. That's a different conversation right?

I noticed my uneducated blue collar Republican cousin was trashing the UAW for asking for much just to push a button all day. Sounds like he's jealous to me that they are making more than him. One woman called him out on facebook and he said he was "skilled" labor. In other words he has a license to drive a truck. Another industry Republicans have ruined.

 

[sealybobo]

Well, they don't hire people to benefit society. They hire people to improve their bottom line.

I think that the auto industry is a required industry for our national security, among other reasons. The wages are in My opinion, ridiculous but hey, if you can negotiate those numbers, more power to them.

As long as they are not in the public sector, I don't really have a dog in that fight. The price of new autos is already out of the reach of the middle class and the poor.

So, the question is going to remain an open one with regard to the auto industry.

What I DO believe, though, is that anything that is of vital national interest, chip making, weapons that keep us free, things of that nature, MUST be done here, in the US. By loyal citizens. Which is, in My opinion, about 96% of the population.

The article I read said you don't have to make it here. Just don't make it in only one place. If we make something in Mexico and Canada, what are the chances we go to war with both countries? So we have a backup. And what we learned from WW2 is we can mobilize very quickly. Go from making cars to making cell phones or bombs or fighter planes very quickly.

I don't know if they only hire people to increase the bottom line. If they did they'd probably cut half the staff.

 

[Darkwind]

The article I read said you don't have to make it here. Just don't make it in only one place. If we make something in Mexico and Canada, what are the chances we go to war with both countries? So we have a backup. And what we learned from WW2 is we can mobilize very quickly. Go from making cars to making cell phones or bombs or fighter planes very quickly.

I don't know if they only hire people to increase the bottom line. If they did they'd probably cut half the staff.

Well, that isn't unreasonable, but in truth, I'd rather it was 100% made in America, by American workers; who will put those wages back into their local economies and strengthen their families.

Call Me old-fashioned.

 

[sealybobo]

Well, that isn't unreasonable, but in truth, I'd rather it was 100% made in America, by American workers; who will put those wages back into their local economies and strengthen their families.

Call Me old-fashioned.

I agree. But globalization and automation have begun. I guess that makes me a globalist. Or realist.