The Death of Manufacturing in the USA

[Tinark]

Ok, let's talk about this. I know what you are trying to say, that certain jobs and processes can be automated to allow people to do more important "other things of valuable". And that is a good thing. The problem is that when a task or process is replaced by automation or the job is sent overseas for example it's difficult for the person being replaced to find a job doing "other things of valuable". A guy who spent 25 years as a manual machinist or tool maker can't simply become a scientist, or entertainer, or engineer. This is where job training is important to allow people to learn new job skills.

I don't deny that a layoff can be a hardship for some, especially if they are middle aged and have had a long career in one field. I fully support programs that make the transition less painful for them, such as subsidized classes/training, unemployment insurance (which we already have).

However, data does indicate that the average person changes their careers something like three times throughout their lives. Therefore, they are ending one path to do something else of value, and it happens quite frequently.

According to the Labor Department, “the average person born in the later years of the baby boom held 10.5 jobs from age 18 to 40.” In 2006, the most recent year for which there are statistics, 54 million Americans, or 40 percent of the work force, left their jobs.

Of course, many of those are not necessarily starting new careers. Some were pushed off their perch and others were simply jumping to a more attractive employer. But a survey conducted by New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies in 2006 showed that New York professionals — a rarefied group, admittedly, but not necessarily atypical — expected, on average, to change careers three times in their lifetimes, and only 28 percent expected lifelong careers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/01/business/smallbusiness/01webcareers.html