3-28-18

declining manufacturing jobs in the US

• factories being built overseas where labor is cheaper
• automation--robots replace workers
• manufacturing is declining as a percentage of the total economy, service industry is growing
• economic downturns
  

the chart above suggests that automation is having a big effect on jobs

• more and more the remaining manufacturing jobs require more education
• if you have the education, there are fewer but better jobs
• artificial intelligence will reduce the number of lower level white collar jobs
• is supermarket checkout going to be as automated as banking?
• up until now automation has replaced jobs but new kinds of jobs have been created, keeping the number of jobs high enough
  
• but not well paid jobs for people with only a high school education or less (now truck driving will be automated)
  
• how do we make the necessary community college education available?
• maybe there is so much potential now for automation of jobs that require thought that there won't be enough jobs of any kind
  

many assembly line jobs have moved to countries with cheaper labor
if those jobs come back to the US they are generally automated
automated manufacturing is growing, but many fewer jobs