Where have all the jobs gone?

"Where have all the jobs gone, long time passing. Where have all the jobs gone, long time ago."

Parody of Where have all the flowers gone?

Peter, Paul and Mary

Great article this am on where all the jobs have gone. I have addressed this issue before in this blog. There has been, and still is a gross misnomer that our good paying jobs have gone overseas. To be performed by some poor citizen, working 16 hours a day, making a $1.25/hour. There might (heavy on the might) be some of that, but that is not where the majority of our former jobs have gone. In short, they have gone the way of the dinosaur. In other words, they are not coming back - ever.

The article this morning addressed the auto industry. That industry has been a leader in the use of robotics in manufacturing. For example, in the 1970's, car manufacturing plants were really humming. Many thousands of UAW workers were employed at many different factories. Today, General Motors is turning out more cars than it did in 1970. And doing it with less than a third of the workers. Not Mexican or Asian workers instead of American workers - just workers.

And guess what? This trend is going to continue across more and more industries. Why? First off, the cost of automation is sliding down the learning curve. Yes, the cost of building a piece of robotic machinery is getting cheaper and the quality is getting better. Plus, robotic machinery does not call in sick, does not go on strike, and learns much faster than humans. In short, we are victims of our own technology. We are literally working ourselves out of manufacturing jobs.

Here is the truth. Are we done working as a country? Absolutely not! There will be plenty of jobs to be had. What kind of jobs? If I knew that, I would not be penning this article right now, as I would be sitting on a beach drinking umbrella drinks. In short, I would be rich.

These are jobs which are not yet on the radar - but they will be. If we keep training for jobs which are never coming back, we will be screwed. However, if we are nimble in our education and training, we will be better prepared for the future. Those who are ill prepared for the future, will only receive future shock.

The man who is running against the sitting representative in the town which I live is a life long union guy. And he is running totally on a union platform. You know - jobs, jobs, jobs. The old kind of jobs. Working in the old style union steward shop. Big minimum wage, big raises, lifelong security, benefits out the wazoo. I am sorry sir - you are barking up the wrong tree. What little manufacturing we have left, we can easily lose to overseas competition by being too greedy at the negotiation table. 

There is an old saying, "The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that is the best way to bet." Going forward in today's job market, the best way to get a job as a Walmart greeter is to major in Art History. However, getting an engineering degree with an emphasis in nanotechnology or robotics would really hedge your bets to find a "livable wage" job in the future.

Sorry Mr. Union Guy. We need to be swift, nimble and strong going forward. The age old Democratic platform offers none of that. Join the program going forward, or say hi to the dinosaurs for us.