- Joined
- Nov 7, 2017
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- 164
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- Gresham, OR
- VCDS Serial number
- C?ID=28764
I may also add to the above that from what I'm reading, in the next two decades there WILL be massive job losses regardless of policy changes designed to keep jobs from being shipped overseas.
The Mid West has already experienced it, but it absolutely can be argued that the automotive sector has lost MORE jobs to automation than it has to outsourcing since the 1960s, combined with more people simply buying import cars. There were angry protests by auto workers against import cars at some points because they were placing more blame on people's purchase decisions than they were on the fact that just as many, if not more jobs were simply automated away by robots that could do their jobs with more consistent quality, faster and for less money.
Same with the MAGA movement where people start to blame immigrants and job loss to outsourcing when behind the scenes, there has been a constant march towards more and more automation across all sectors, and it's going to displace FAR more jobs in the coming years than than any trade policy or border wall and immigration policy will be able to compensate for.
The sooner we grapple with this reality and what to do about it, the better. I'm all about actionable, reality-based solutions, not rhetoric that makes it FEEL like real solutions are being offered by "building that wall" and blowing up trade deals. Though I personally would definitely like to see fewer daily items made in China to be shipped and purchased here.
But I will say, this pandemic actually briefly outlined the short-sightedness of having too much production outsourced overseas when we didn't have the capacity to produce an adequate amount of PPE for front line workers as well as fill demand to the public to wear masks for various states' mandates. States like California had to go and make deals with China to procure supplies. I, for one, would much rather see our own ability to manufacture such necessary items bolstered and deals put in place to protect such production from being outsourced again. But the above point about automation still remains that it was just as, if not more damaging to the number of jobs lost in the last several decades.
The Mid West has already experienced it, but it absolutely can be argued that the automotive sector has lost MORE jobs to automation than it has to outsourcing since the 1960s, combined with more people simply buying import cars. There were angry protests by auto workers against import cars at some points because they were placing more blame on people's purchase decisions than they were on the fact that just as many, if not more jobs were simply automated away by robots that could do their jobs with more consistent quality, faster and for less money.
Same with the MAGA movement where people start to blame immigrants and job loss to outsourcing when behind the scenes, there has been a constant march towards more and more automation across all sectors, and it's going to displace FAR more jobs in the coming years than than any trade policy or border wall and immigration policy will be able to compensate for.
The sooner we grapple with this reality and what to do about it, the better. I'm all about actionable, reality-based solutions, not rhetoric that makes it FEEL like real solutions are being offered by "building that wall" and blowing up trade deals. Though I personally would definitely like to see fewer daily items made in China to be shipped and purchased here.
But I will say, this pandemic actually briefly outlined the short-sightedness of having too much production outsourced overseas when we didn't have the capacity to produce an adequate amount of PPE for front line workers as well as fill demand to the public to wear masks for various states' mandates. States like California had to go and make deals with China to procure supplies. I, for one, would much rather see our own ability to manufacture such necessary items bolstered and deals put in place to protect such production from being outsourced again. But the above point about automation still remains that it was just as, if not more damaging to the number of jobs lost in the last several decades.
