4 ms·

Here, for instance, is a graph of manufacturing jobs per capita in the US: https://www.numer.al/us_bls_data/figures/manufacturing-employees-per-capita https://

• noobermin 10y ago
  It is very easy to zoom out an fit a line but the step like changes at certain points are interesting. Averaging over the variations might throw away a lot of interesting information. But you are right about one thing, the curve has not dipped up appreciably in the last 30 years. All I see are steps, plateau's where the level is kept before the next drop. EDIT: can't do math or I keep thinking it's 2000's still.
  • brchr 10y ago
    Agreed that it'd be interesting to try to figure out what explains those cycles and steps. Recessions in general? Would be interesting to see what correlated with those points in time.
    • bzbarsky 10y ago
      At least in the last 40 years of that graph, recessions seems to be it. A recession hits, some people get fired (sticky wages, etc, etc), the recovery comes and it's cheaper to automate stuff than hire people. Then things coast for a while. The cost of automation keeps falling, people keep getting relatively more expensive, but in good times generally you don't get people getting fired en masse because times are good and the employer is making a profit anyway. Then a recession comes, and the cycle repeats...