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Maybe it isn't China: Declining US manufacturing employment

16 points by cwan 16y ago

gamble 16y ago
It was the post-war political atmosphere of egalitarianism and the fact that Europe and Asia were in ruins that made factory jobs well-paying in 50s America. Once other countries reverted to the mean and neoliberals captured government, so ended the conditions for strong wage growth.
JeffL 16y ago
I suspect that's a misleading graph. They are trying to show a loss of manufacturing jobs and in order to make the graph more dramatic, they are graphing the percentage of jobs that are manufacturing. But if they graphed the total number of manufacturing jobs, it wouldn't be nearly so dramatic because of the huge increase in total employment over the years. Quick Google search and look at the graphs here: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010020825/no-virginia-us-manufacturing-isnt-dead http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010020825/no-virginia-u... Comparing the charts based on what the two articles are trying to prove reminds me of "lies, damn lies, and statistics".
rjprins 16y ago
It's interesting to think what will happen to us when we've automated the production of everything we really need. I think the reality is we don't need to work so much anymore. In fact we need to work less and less. Especially if you combine this fact with slowed population growth. If you imagine a large scale automated system that builds homes, grows and processes food and takes care of our other basic needs (which is where this world is going to) then do we really need to work? The problem is, is that the world and the economy are set up so that you need to earn your place. But if no apocalypse stops us, there is going to come a day where there is no need to do anything, because everything is provided for. However, that future will heavily favor the owners of the system and it will cost those who are without property. That army of robots fulfilling your every single want may never come, but we are certainly partially there. Thus the economic effect is already partially here.

16 points by cwan 16y ago

It was the post-war political atmosphere of egalitarianism and the fact that Europe and Asia were in ruins that made factory jobs well-paying in 50s America. Once other countries reverted to the mean and neoliberals captured government, so ended the conditions for strong wage growth.

JeffL 16y ago

I suspect that's a misleading graph. They are trying to show a loss of manufacturing jobs and in order to make the graph more dramatic, they are graphing the percentage of jobs that are manufacturing. But if they graphed the total number of manufacturing jobs, it wouldn't be nearly so dramatic because of the huge increase in total employment over the years. Quick Google search and look at the graphs here: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010020825/no-virginia-us-manufacturing-isnt-dead http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010020825/no-virginia-u... Comparing the charts based on what the two articles are trying to prove reminds me of "lies, damn lies, and statistics".

rjprins 16y ago

It's interesting to think what will happen to us when we've automated the production of everything we really need. I think the reality is we don't need to work so much anymore. In fact we need to work less and less. Especially if you combine this fact with slowed population growth. If you imagine a large scale automated system that builds homes, grows and processes food and takes care of our other basic needs (which is where this world is going to) then do we really need to work? The problem is, is that the world and the economy are set up so that you need to earn your place. But if no apocalypse stops us, there is going to come a day where there is no need to do anything, because everything is provided for. However, that future will heavily favor the owners of the system and it will cost those who are without property. That army of robots fulfilling your every single want may never come, but we are certainly partially there. Thus the economic effect is already partially here.