The Economist - "They don't make them like that anymore"

The Economist: "Politicians cannot bring back old-fashioned factory jobs. They don’t make ’em like that any more"

Ride the carousel

Once you understand what manufacturing now looks like, you come to see that the way it is represented in official statistics understates its health, and that the sector’s apparent decline in the rich world is overstated. But that does not solve the politicians’ problem. The innovations behind the sector’s resilience have changed the number, nature and location of the jobs that it offers. There are still a lot of them; but many of the good jobs for the less skilled are never to return.

Both in terms of employment and innovation manufacturing is worthy of political attention. Manufacturers are more likely to be exporters than businesses in other parts of the economy and, as you would expect given the demands of competing in a broader market, exporting firms tend to be more productive than non-exporting firms. Such firms also tend to be more capital-intensive, because selling into those broader markets allows firms to reduce capital costs per unit sold. And a sector that has higher-than-average productivity and high capital intensity will, other things being equal, be able to offer better wages.

The structure of 20th-century manufacturing helped ensure that those better wages were indeed offered. Factories brought lots of modestly skilled people together with massive capital equipment that cost owners dearly when idled by strikes. Unionisation helped those workers win a large share of the value generated by industry.

In the latter part of the century, though, this system came undone. Better shipping and information technology allowed firms to unbundle the different tasks—from design to assembly to sales—that made up the business of manufacturing. It became possible to co-ordinate longer and more complicated supply chains, and thus for various activities to be moved to other countries, or to other companies, or both. At the same time computers and computer-aided design made automation more capable. High wages gave owners the incentive they needed to take advantage of those opportunities. And while politicians now like the good jobs unionised factories provided, at the time when those unions were flexing their muscles many were happy to see them reined in.

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It's over, boys-'n-girls. Time to move on.

Manufacturing in the US will specialize, and the more redundant work has moved and will continue to move both west (to the Far East) and ... uh, Mexico. Despite what Donald Dork says about his Effing Wall.

So, if you want to pay more for your car - hey, go for it! Buy American! But that aint gonna save jobs in America. Those that are gone, are gone and they aint comin' back. The car's fan-belt will continue to be Made in China! Amongst other things as well.

So, what's a poor soul to do?

Get crackin' on advancing your skills levels! If you have a high-school degree get a vocational one. Better yet, if you can, get a 2- or 4-year degree, they will get you in the door and in the seat for an interview. Go for it!

NB: Oh, yeah. Remember the offer from Hillary for a free education up to and including a Tertiary Level degree? For all Donald Dork's shyster blah-blah, there aint nothin in his program that's gonna match that offer. You've been had by the Electoral College ...

Lafayette said:

The Economist: "Politicians cannot bring back old-fashioned factory jobs. They don’t make ’em like that any more"



It's over, boys-'n-girls. Time to move on.

Manufacturing in the US will specialize, and the more redundant work has moved and will continue to move both west (to the Far East) and ... uh, Mexico. Despite what Donald Dork says about his Effing Wall.

So, if you want to pay more for your car - hey, go for it! Buy American! But that aint gonna save jobs in America. Those that are gone, are gone and they aint comin' back. The car's fan-belt will continue to be Made in China! Amongst other things as well.

So, what's a poor soul to do?

Get crackin' on advancing your skills levels! If you have a high-school degree get a vocational one. Better yet, if you can, get a 2- or 4-year degree, they will get you in the door and in the seat for an interview. Go for it!

NB: Oh, yeah. Remember the offer from Hillary for a free education up to and including a Tertiary Level degree? For all Donald Dork's shyster blah-blah, there aint nothin in his program that's gonna match that offer. You've been had by the Electoral College ...

Click to expand...

The article isn't bad. The answer is not the free riding you propose.
And useing the label "Donald Dork" is typical of the language used by the more unappetizing populists and ideologues often of socialist bend in the last century. This was well discussed over decades.

Lafayette said:

The Economist: "Politicians cannot bring back old-fashioned factory jobs. They don’t make ’em like that any more"



It's over, boys-'n-girls. Time to move on.

Manufacturing in the US will specialize, and the more redundant work has moved and will continue to move both west (to the Far East) and ... uh, Mexico. Despite what Donald Dork says about his Effing Wall.

So, if you want to pay more for your car - hey, go for it! Buy American! But that aint gonna save jobs in America. Those that are gone, are gone and they aint comin' back. The car's fan-belt will continue to be Made in China! Amongst other things as well.

So, what's a poor soul to do?

Get crackin' on advancing your skills levels! If you have a high-school degree get a vocational one. Better yet, if you can, get a 2- or 4-year degree, they will get you in the door and in the seat for an interview. Go for it!

NB: Oh, yeah. Remember the offer from Hillary for a free education up to and including a Tertiary Level degree? For all Donald Dork's shyster blah-blah, there aint nothin in his program that's gonna match that offer. You've been had by the Electoral College ...

Click to expand...

There is nothing new here. This is just the same "piss off" that unemployed workers have been getting all along. Displaced workers getting trained in another job doesn't work in real life. Changing jobs/careers takes considerable resources that they don't have, and there are only so many jobs in HVAC work.

Lafayette said:

NB: Oh, yeah. Remember the offer from Hillary for a free education up to and including a Tertiary Level degree? For all Donald Dork's shyster blah-blah, there aint nothin in his program that's gonna match that offer. You've been had by the Electoral College ...

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A bribe? Out of the public coffer? Egads! The horror that people reject such charity from themselves!

Lafayette said:

The Economist: "Politicians cannot bring back old-fashioned factory jobs. They don’t make ’em like that any more"



It's over, boys-'n-girls. Time to move on.

Manufacturing in the US will specialize, and the more redundant work has moved and will continue to move both west (to the Far East) and ... uh, Mexico. Despite what Donald Dork says about his Effing Wall.

So, if you want to pay more for your car - hey, go for it! Buy American! But that aint gonna save jobs in America. Those that are gone, are gone and they aint comin' back. The car's fan-belt will continue to be Made in China! Amongst other things as well.

So, what's a poor soul to do?

Get crackin' on advancing your skills levels! If you have a high-school degree get a vocational one. Better yet, if you can, get a 2- or 4-year degree, they will get you in the door and in the seat for an interview. Go for it!

NB: Oh, yeah. Remember the offer from Hillary for a free education up to and including a Tertiary Level degree? For all Donald Dork's shyster blah-blah, there aint nothin in his program that's gonna match that offer. You've been had by the Electoral College ...

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There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that a market flooded with illegal and legal immigrant workers, lowers wages for all. This is not in question. Eliminating illegal immigration, and limiting legal immigration can only help.

THE PIE-CHART SAYS IT ALL

countryboy said:

There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that a market flooded with illegal and legal immigrant workers, lowers wages for all. This is not in question. Eliminating illegal immigration, and limiting legal immigration can only help.

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Then "what is the question?", pray tell.

My father was one of those "migrants". Perhaps, somewhere down the line, your father as well.

The practicalities behind the matter are escaping us. What "practicality"?

This one: In time you are going to retire. Ipso fact, you become "non-productive" to the market-economy that (nonetheless) you still depend upon. But, where is that money you employ as a consumer to come from. "Retirement". OK, but from where do "THOSE FUNDS" derive.

Taxation. Of what? Income earned by others working.

That's the easy part. The hard part is that the "Income" others are working to obtain cannot provide the income necessary to cover ALL GOVERNMENTAL EXPENSES. It just can't, and somewhere choices have to be made as to "who gets what". We must prioritize.

And, now, those priority choices in the "discretionary" US Budget pie-chart look like this:


More than half is being "wasted" upon a DoD protective-netting that is far too expensive and likely unnecessary to the extent it has reached. The consequence?

We are not spending money where we should - in the real betterment of our people. Howzat?

MY POINT

We are graduating 85% of our kids out of a postsecondary education. But we are fully in an historical "change of ages" as we evolve from the Industrial to the Information Age. The qualifications necessary for this New Age are much higher than those of the past.

For this evolution, we need assure that education is free, gratis and for nothing up to and including TERTIARY EDUCATION. And, there we are failing. Only 44% of our kids are obtaining the qualifications a postsecondary education could have afforded them (but wont)!

Why? Because it is too damn expensive! See the comparative costs with other countries here:


Both American industrial and services companies are telling us that the shortage of "talented help" is so bad they have to go abroad to find it and bring it into the US on non-permanent work-visas.

My intent above was to show why - the solution is clear. We reduce DoD and implement Bernie's idea (adopted by Hillary) to subsidize the education of all children in families earning up to 100K per year. (Which is any family where both parents earn the average salary of $54K a year.)

But, no, now we wont be getting any of that whatsoever either ...

Lafayette said:

THE PIE-CHART SAYS IT ALL



Then "what is the question?", pray tell.

My father was one of those "migrants". Perhaps, somewhere down the line, your father as well.

The practicalities behind the matter are escaping us. What "practicality"?

This one: In time you are going to retire. Ipso fact, you become "non-productive" to the market-economy that (nonetheless) you still depend upon. But, where is that money you employ as a consumer to come from. "Retirement". OK, but from where do "THOSE FUNDS" derive.

Taxation. Of what? Income earned by others working.

That's the easy part. The hard part is that the "Income" others are working to obtain cannot provide the income necessary to cover ALL GOVERNMENTAL EXPENSES. It just can't, and somewhere choices have to be made as to "who gets what". We must prioritize.

And, now, those priority choices in the "discretionary" US Budget pie-chart look like this:
View attachment 67212584

More than half is being "wasted" upon a DoD protective-netting that is far too expensive and likely unnecessary to the extent it has reached. The consequence?

We are not spending money where we should - in the real betterment of our people. Howzat?

MY POINT

We are graduating 85% of our kids out of a postsecondary education. But we are fully in an historical "change of ages" as we evolve from the Industrial to the Information Age. For this evolution, we need assure that education is free, gratis and for nothing up to and including TERTIARY EDUCATION. And, there we are failing. Only 44% of our kids are obtaining the qualifications a postsecondary education could have afforded them (but wont)!

Why? Because it is too damn expensive! See the comparative costs with other countries here:
View attachment 67212587

American companies are telling us that the shortage of "talented help" is so bad, they have to go abroad to find it and bring it into the US on non-permanent work-visas.

My intent above was to show why ...

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Nice example of head banging....trying to get people to understand and care about some very important things....if they can be bothered that is...

10/10

LowDown said:

There is nothing new here. This is just the same "piss off" that unemployed workers have been getting all along. Displaced workers getting trained in another job doesn't work in real life.

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You are VERY wrong and blinded.

Enhancing work-skills at any age has proven to benefit the person in question.

America really does not need such mindless negativism - especially now that it is at the crossroads of a major change of "ages". We are exiting the Industrial Age and entering the Information Age.

And attitudes like yours above are uselessly backwards.

LowDown said:

Changing jobs/careers takes considerable resources that they don't have, and there are only so many jobs in HVAC work.

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I will buy this bit. Yes, the retraining should be free, gratis and for nothing.

But, of course, in electing Donald Dork, we just blew that idea out of the water. (Hillary had borrowed from Bernie the idea of "investing in our youth" by subsidizing their Tertiary Education.)

Yup, shot ourselves in the foot this last election. We did, we did, we did ...

joG said:

The article isn't bad. The answer is not the free riding you propose.

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Is joining the Army enticed by the promise of a Tertiary Education (if you survive and do not come home in a body-bag) "free-riding"?

Well, that's what our kids have been doing since Korea.

And I will add this layer to the smear: The Replicants know full well they don't want THEIR KIDS to be the ones coming home in body-bags, so they entice the poor (who haven't the financial means for a Tertiary Education) to risk their lives in the manner I've described above.

Wakey, wakey! Reality time ... !

Thanx ...

Lafayette said:

Is joining the Army enticed by the promise of a Tertiary Education (if you survive and do not come home in a body-bag) "free-riding"?

Well, that's what our kids have been doing since Korea.

And I will add this layer to the smear: The Replicants know full well they don't want THEIR KIDS to be the ones coming home in body-bags, so they entice the poor (who haven't the financial means for a Tertiary Education) to risk their lives in the manner I've described above.

Wakey, wakey! Reality time ... !

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In what respect would you think receiving education as deferred pay was free riding? It would be part of the contract. Working for pay is not free riding.

Lafayette said:

Is joining the Army enticed by the promise of a Tertiary Education (if you survive and do not come home in a body-bag) "free-riding"?

Well, that's what our kids have been doing since Korea.

And I will add this layer to the smear: The Replicants know full well they don't want THEIR KIDS to be the ones coming home in body-bags, so they entice the poor (who haven't the financial means for a Tertiary Education) to risk their lives in the manner I've described above.

Wakey, wakey! Reality time ... !

Click to expand...

Why do you think the that receiving education as part of your pay package be free riding?

Lafayette said:

Is joining the Army enticed by the promise of a Tertiary Education (if you survive and do not come home in a body-bag) "free-riding"?

Well, that's what our kids have been doing since Korea.

And I will add this layer to the smear: The Replicants know full well they don't want THEIR KIDS to be the ones coming home in body-bags, so they entice the poor (who haven't the financial means for a Tertiary Education) to risk their lives in the manner I've described above.

Wakey, wakey! Reality time ... !

Click to expand...

Why do you think the that receiving education as part of your pay package be free riding?

Lafayette said:

Is joining the Army enticed by the promise of a Tertiary Education (if you survive and do not come home in a body-bag) "free-riding"?

Well, that's what our kids have been doing since Korea.

And I will add this layer to the smear: The Replicants know full well they don't want THEIR KIDS to be the ones coming home in body-bags, so they entice the poor (who haven't the financial means for a Tertiary Education) to risk their lives in the manner I've described above.

Wakey, wakey! Reality time ... !

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Funny. Why do you use such a non free riding example? I doubt you missed the point.

Lafayette said:

Is joining the Army enticed by the promise of a Tertiary Education (if you survive and do not come home in a body-bag) "free-riding"?

Well, that's what our kids have been doing since Korea.

And I will add this layer to the smear: The Replicants know full well they don't want THEIR KIDS to be the ones coming home in body-bags, so they entice the poor (who haven't the financial means for a Tertiary Education) to risk their lives in the manner I've described above.

Wakey, wakey! Reality time ... !

Click to expand...

Now that is an unimaginative response. What ever made you take such an obviously private good to ridicule the concept of free riding?

Lafayette said:

Is joining the Army enticed by the promise of a Tertiary Education (if you survive and do not come home in a body-bag) "free-riding"?

Well, that's what our kids have been doing since Korea.

And I will add this layer to the smear: The Replicants know full well they don't want THEIR KIDS to be the ones coming home in body-bags, so they entice the poor (who haven't the financial means for a Tertiary Education) to risk their lives in the manner I've described above.

Wakey, wakey! Reality time ... !

Click to expand...

Now that is an unimaginative response. What ever made you take such an obviously private good to ridicule the concept of free riding?

Lafayette said:

]They don’t make ’em like that any more"
It's over, boys-'n-girls. Time to move on.

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BS of course. Liberals shipped our manufacturing jobs to China and Mexico where workforce is less well trained than Americas'. The Donald will get back the jobs liberals off-shored!!

joG said:

The article isn't bad. The answer is not the free riding you propose.
And useing the label "Donald Dork" is typical of the language used by the more unappetizing populists and ideologues often of socialist bend in the last century. This was well discussed over decades.

Click to expand...

Talking about DJT, and calling someone else a populist? What happened to this forum!

countryboy said:

There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that a market flooded with illegal and legal immigrant workers, lowers wages for all. This is not in question. Eliminating illegal immigration, and limiting legal immigration can only help.

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Are you aware of the Paper that was cited by Populists in the Brexit?

Read that, and look at Japan, then tell me immigrants are evil job knaves.

Or just, you know, use your brain for a couple seconds.

Well, don't go that far. You'll end up a Leftist

James972 said:

BS of course. Liberals shipped our manufacturing jobs to China and Mexico where workforce is less well trained than Americas'. The Donald will get back the jobs liberals off-shored!!

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This is Sad.

I could burry you in citations.

I won't.

You're not even worth it.

joG said:

In what respect would you think receiving education as deferred pay was free riding? It would be part of the contract. Working for pay is not free riding.

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Oh the Irony! Government cannot receive deferred pay for subsidizing higher education but Businesses can! (In the form of increased income, greater taxes and possibly a larger tax bracket.)

See Government can only go left, Business can go left, right, up, down and count too!! *HUCK HUCK*

Chinandenga said:

This is Sad.

I could burry you in citations.

I won't.

You're not even worth it.

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BS of course. Liberals shipped our manufacturing jobs to China and Mexico where workforces are less well trained than Americas. They did this with the highest taxes in the world, their unions, their huge budget deficits, and bad trade deals! And this is not to mention inviting in 30 million illegals to take what jobs are left and bid down wages. Never fear, The Donald will get back the jobs liberals off-shored!!

Chinandenga said:

Talking about DJT, and calling someone else a populist? What happened to this forum!

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Just because Hitler was a populist doesn't mean his communist counterparts weren't. Our problem is partially that our mainstream politics have increasingly been tending towards populist arguments and pulling the whole system away from rational political decision making.

Chinandenga said:

Oh the Irony! Government cannot receive deferred pay for subsidizing higher education but Businesses can! (In the form of increased income, greater taxes and possibly a larger tax bracket.)

See Government can only go left, Business can go left, right, up, down and count too!! *HUCK HUCK*

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If you aren't going to say, what you mean, people will think you haven't anythe worth reading to say

Chinandenga said:

Oh the Irony! Government cannot receive deferred pay for subsidizing higher education but Businesses can!

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govt is an inefficient monopoly at best and a genocidal killer on average, and the source of evil in human history. Now you understand why the basic principle of our founders was to limit govt.