Monday, February 28, 2011

In one photo we can see the "problem" in manufacturing in the US...Output is up but employment is down in that sector...

This is a photo that accompanies an article about a Hyundai plant in Alabama.  In the battle for the "soul" of manufacturing, it seems technology has won---At least in the auto industry.  I can spot only one worker! The graph below shows that while manufacturing output is increasing, employment in manufacturing is declining.  Not enough attention is paid to this issue.  How much of the manufacturing job loss is for this reason and not off-shoring? Is it much different for a person to lose a job to a machine than to some "foreign worker"? On the one hand we want to tax/punish businesses for sending production line jobs overseas but, on the other hand, we give tax CREDITS to domestic businesses to purchase technology that will, well, eliminate jobs on the production line...Hmm...That is two postings from me today on Irony...
Source NY TIMES


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