Study finds job growth concentrated at the bottom of the scale

[Moonbeam]

Moore's Law dictates that in the not too distant future Robots and will do all the work. Computers will do design. Very quickly after that work will be too technically difficult for any human to do. With nothing to do and nobody to compete with, after the waves of suicide subside, those of us who are used to being nothing will all be able to play. We won't have to do anything but what we want. We will all be Hippies and have sex in the sun. It's gonna be great.

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Moore's Law dictates that in the not too distant future Robots and will do all the work. Computers will do design. Very quickly after that work will be too technically difficult for any human to do. With nothing to do and nobody to compete with, after the waves of suicide subside, those of us who are used to being nothing will all be able to play. We won't have to do anything but what we want. We will all be Hippies and have sex in the sun. It's gonna be great.

Real life movie....The Terminator

Real life movie....The Matrix

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Engineer

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
Not sure if this is news. The middle class is disappearing along with manufacturing jobs. ALl that's left is selling products made in China at Wal-Mart for minimum wage.

The middle class is not disappearing. More manufacturing jobs are lost to automation, than to outsourching.

Outsourcing a plant closes the entire plant and all involved are let go.

At least in automation, the plant is kept open and technical people (engineers and maintenance people) stay employeed.

I would rather keep 30% of my company's people employeed here than to have 100% in Mexico.

You right. I would also rather keep the work here, rather than mexico. But automation is killing assembly line workers jobs, more so than jobs being moved out of the country.

You are the engineer, maybe you can figure out a way to keep the plant here and sell it to your boss.

Actually, employees are usually trained to operate those machines and do maintenance on them and progrmam them, etc.

And those machines are made somehwere (probably not in the US coincidentally, but htey should be) where people are employed manufacturing them, wriitng the software for them, etc.

Very true. While some manual labor job may be replaced by something we automate - it creates work for us in the automation industry, service tech industry, and other manufacturing industries. We don't specifically attempt to buy American made stuff to use in our automation projects but it does happen that we do have some partnerships with some companies that are American and make the products right here in the US. One such friendship is with a Conveyor manufacturer. Sure we could buy the cheap imported automation products or buy them out of a catalog(*cough*Engineer*cough*) but we don't unless the customer hard specs items.
Hell, if it weren't for the Automation industry - neither me or my wife would be employed.(she works for an Electrical supply wholesaler who also is the Allen-Bradley distributor here) So while I may work to automate/build systems for companies to increase efficiency(like corn huskers for example) that take away crappy min-wage jobs - it keeps me, my wife, electricians, and others employed.

CsG

 

[Engineer]

LOL @ Cad. We actually did use Allen Bradley until a merger with a smaller connector company about 12 years ago. Their management in the technical department won out and Omron was the standard.

We have been told to reduce our tooling costs because we are losing contracts over the cost of tooling. It's a tough choice, but not one that I have any control over.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
Not sure if this is news. The middle class is disappearing along with manufacturing jobs. ALl that's left is selling products made in China at Wal-Mart for minimum wage.

The middle class is not disappearing. More manufacturing jobs are lost to automation, than to outsourching.

Oh, really. What's happened to the US Steel industry? That's not a big industry is it?

Contrary to popular beleif, stell is a strong industry in the US. We just keep producing more steel, with less people.

 

[Engineer]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
Not sure if this is news. The middle class is disappearing along with manufacturing jobs. ALl that's left is selling products made in China at Wal-Mart for minimum wage.

The middle class is not disappearing. More manufacturing jobs are lost to automation, than to outsourching.

Oh, really. What's happened to the US Steel industry? That's not a big industry is it?

Contrary to popular beleif, stell is a strong industry in the US. We just keep producing more steel, with less people.

And, I would guess, since China is buying as much steel as almost everyone produces, we should be shipping steel to China as an export!

(I'm not 100% sure on that one though)

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Engineer

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004
Not sure if this is news. The middle class is disappearing along with manufacturing jobs. ALl that's left is selling products made in China at Wal-Mart for minimum wage.

The middle class is not disappearing. More manufacturing jobs are lost to automation, than to outsourching.

Oh, really. What's happened to the US Steel industry? That's not a big industry is it?

Contrary to popular beleif, stell is a strong industry in the US. We just keep producing more steel, with less people.

And, I would guess, since China is buying as much steel as almost everyone produces, we should be shipping steel to China as an export!

(I'm not 100% sure on that one though)

Yes we are currently exporting steel to china. Probably scrap metal as well.