Tag: manufactur

Future of manufacturing production, jobs

One benefit of the political debate about trade is that it led to an overdue discussion of manufacturing.

But after more than a year of politicking, I’m afraid there’s still a great deal of confusion about the industry and its future. To help clear things up I’ll begin with a parlor trick.

Pick the year you think manufacturing production peaked in the U.S. or Indiana. Some of you will say 1928, 1945, 1975 and sometimes even 1999.The correct answer, of course, is 2015. Yes, inflation-adjusted manufacturing production peaked both in the U.S. and Indiana in 2015, replacing 2014 as the record […]

Growing Georgia factory holds lessons, cautions for Trump job promise

Growing Georgia factory holds lessons, cautions for Trump job promise

December 1, 2016 Fort Valley – Daniel Stripling looks at a job order screen on the assembly line at the company’s plant and headquarters in Fort Valley. The screens show what needs to be done on each bus, as each bus on the assembly line is typically different from others on the line. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM FORT VALLEY, Ga. — As a welder’s sparks flew, a cage of silver ribs grew around the worker, as if Jonah’s whale had surfaced in Blue Bird Corp.’s factory and swallowed him up.

Down the 89-year-old company’s assembly line, dozens of metal skeletons […]

How Minnesota’s community and technical colleges are responding to the rise of robots

How Minnesota's community and technical colleges are responding to the rise of robots

William Hiniker is among a number of Minnesota workers who have returned to school to upgrade their skills in an increasingly competitive employment market. William Hiniker is pursuing an associate degree at Dunwoody College of Technology, and he’s pretty confident about his future.

“I know that once I finish this program, I can get a job pretty much anywhere I want,” said Hiniker, who’s worked as a mechanic at a Shakopee landscape company and served in the U.S. Army as a combat engineer. “There’s no doubt about it.”

In today’s slow-growth economy, that isn’t something many first-year college students can say […]

We must do something about jobs for young people in a world of automation

We must do something about jobs for young people in a world of automation

As technology advances and changes our economy, young jobseekers will bear the brunt of changes in the labour market. With the increasing automation of jobs traditionally occupied by young workers and professionals, a whole generation could face a dystopian future if policymakers fail to act.

A report by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia argues that a new wave of automation is allowing machines to “replicate aspects of human thought” . Classical economists as far back as Adam Smith argued that technological advancements and economic change go hand in hand , but the latest shift seems set to change […]

Donald Trump’s Clumsy War on Globalisation is Bound to Fail

During his 2016 election campaign, Donald J Trump spoke consistently of bringing back the United States’ (US) manufacturing jobs. His rhetoric on "declaring America’s economic independence" earned him significant wins in America’s rust belt states of Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Now, being the President-elect, the underlying phenomenon that he plans to take on is Globalisation and the fast approaching "Fourth Industrial Revolution" and he may find his planned policies being unable to combat either.

If the Carrier deal where Trump claims to have saved 800 jobs is an example of how he plans on keeping manufacturing companies in the US, then […]

Offshoring, Not Automation, Is Causing America’s Manufacturing Job Loss

Offshoring, Not Automation, Is Causing America’s Manufacturing Job Loss

Don’t Blame Technology Or Robots

People who say that America is losing its manufacturing jobs because of automation (more robots) are either ignorant, or lying—many are both.

Sadly, these people are about as common as they wrong (very, on both counts).Bad “economists” are everywhere, especially in journalism. For example, Wolfgang Lehmacher wrote a column in Fortune on the subject: …what then explains [manufacturing] job losses? It’s simple: factories don’t need as many workers as they used to, because robots increasingly do the work. Let me be clear: that’s not wrong prima facie —factories are getting more efficient. But that’s […]

Making Manufacturing Great Again Will Require A Two-Pronged Approach

Making Manufacturing Great Again Will Require A Two-Pronged Approach

Employment in manufacturing peaked in the late 1970s at over 19 million. Since then, despite occasional positive bumps, manufacturing employment has shown a long-term secular decline. Today, fewer than 13 million workers are employed in factory jobs. This long-run, large scale decline in employment is largely attributable to automation and the offshoring of jobs to low-wage countries. The workers most affected by these technological and global shifts are unfortunately those with the least skills, whose jobs are most susceptible to these causes of displacement. The Carrier deal that President-elect Trump pushed through prevented fewer than a thousand jobs from […]

UK manufacturing industry recorded the most job losses last year

The study measured job creation across 69 different sectors, with manufacturing making up three of the worst five areas for percentage change in employment numbers last year.

The manufacture of chemicals saw a 12.9% decrease in employment numbers to 88,000 from 101,000 and came last out of the 69 sectors.

Meanwhile, the manufacture of computers experienced an 11.5% decrease in jobs followed by the manufacture of pharmaceutical, which saw a 9.8% decrease.According to UHY, the fall in employment numbers in the manufacturing industry is due to the ongoing shift in manufacturing to countries where labour costs are lower.The rise of technological […]

Carrier deal does not carry the day for American workers

Carrier deal does not carry the day for American workers

The recent deal struck by President-elect Donald Trump with Carrier to retain many hundreds of jobs in Indiana rather than moving them to Mexico was an attempt by Trump to deliver on a campaign promise to bring back American jobs. Despite the good intentions behind this move, and the obvious relief of the workers who would benefit, it is unlikely to be the model for restoring U.S. jobs in manufacturing or other sectors on a large scale.

The problem Trump is attempting to address is all too apparent. The forces of globalization and technological change have hollowed out the middle […]

Manufacturing is well, but jobs are not

Manufacturing is well, but jobs are not

Manufacturing is well, but jobs are not One benefit of the political debate about trade is that it led to an overdue discussion of manufacturing. But after more than a year of politicking, I’m afraid there’s still a great deal of confusion about the industry and its future. To help clear things up I’ll begin with a parlor trick. Pick the year you think manufacturing production peaked in the US or Indiana. Some of you will say; 1928, 1945, 1975 and sometimes even 1999. The correct answer, of course, is 2015. Yes, inflation-adjusted manufacturing production peaked both in the […]