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Basic unemployment rates are at 4.6%, which is not an all time low. A 20 year low would be Oct '19, which was 3.5% Also, if you dig beyond the basic rates (for

Basic unemployment rates are at 4.6%, which is not an all time low. A 20 year low would be Oct '19, which was 3.5% Also, if you dig beyond the basic rates (for example, into the "not in the labor force, but want to be"), you will see that it's around 6M, whereas the 20 year low is closer to 4M. I'm not advocating for removing automation. I'm warning that rolling out the automation of even more jobs is going to cause societal problems. Perhaps I'm hoping the right person will read this and start doing something about it, since I'm not that person. https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-unemployment-rate.htm https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-une...

FredPret 5y ago
The point is it’s not 99%, even though 99% of the population from 100 years ago would be unemployable today due to automation. Technology and culture change each other
- falcolas 5y ago
  Sure, eventually, culture will shift, and new classes of jobs will be created. But that's not happening right now (see earlier comments about social legislation), and it won't in anything resembling "in time" to prevent more people from losing their jobs with no reasonable replacements (i.e. above-poverty line wages) in sight.
  - FredPret 5y ago
    As someone who works flat-out to increase automation every day, I certainly hope the unlucky will be OK, but I am also convinced that they will be
    - falcolas 5y ago
      > As someone who works flat-out to increase automation every day, I certainly hope the unlucky will be OK, but I am also convinced that they will be It's easy to think that our actions have no consequences, or more accurately that "someone else" will take care of the consequences of the actions we take. And the more we say it to ourselves, the more we believe it.
      - FredPret 5y ago
        Your central thesis is that more automation = bad, at least in the short term, and should therefore be halted. I've got a problem with that. - Why is the amount of automation we have good, and more is bad? That's an "I've got mine" approach. You're essentially saying that you're happy with your gadgets (dishwasher et al) and with the current price level and variety of consumer goods and no further improvement is needed. - Who decides where the line between enough and too much is? A rich Westerner? Or an African without lights, running water, or a washing machine, who works by manually recycling garbage? - How did we deal with the massive changes automation has already made to society? We're vastly better off now, why shouldn't we continue?

FredPret 5y ago

The point is it’s not 99%, even though 99% of the population from 100 years ago would be unemployable today due to automation. Technology and culture change each other

falcolas 5y ago
Sure, eventually, culture will shift, and new classes of jobs will be created. But that's not happening right now (see earlier comments about social legislation), and it won't in anything resembling "in time" to prevent more people from losing their jobs with no reasonable replacements (i.e. above-poverty line wages) in sight.
- FredPret 5y ago
  As someone who works flat-out to increase automation every day, I certainly hope the unlucky will be OK, but I am also convinced that they will be
  - falcolas 5y ago
    > As someone who works flat-out to increase automation every day, I certainly hope the unlucky will be OK, but I am also convinced that they will be It's easy to think that our actions have no consequences, or more accurately that "someone else" will take care of the consequences of the actions we take. And the more we say it to ourselves, the more we believe it.
    - FredPret 5y ago
      Your central thesis is that more automation = bad, at least in the short term, and should therefore be halted. I've got a problem with that. - Why is the amount of automation we have good, and more is bad? That's an "I've got mine" approach. You're essentially saying that you're happy with your gadgets (dishwasher et al) and with the current price level and variety of consumer goods and no further improvement is needed. - Who decides where the line between enough and too much is? A rich Westerner? Or an African without lights, running water, or a washing machine, who works by manually recycling garbage? - How did we deal with the massive changes automation has already made to society? We're vastly better off now, why shouldn't we continue?