Tag: manufactur

Mexico taking US factory jobs? Blame robots instead

Mexico taking US factory jobs? Blame robots instead

1 of 2 A worker loads spools of thread Oct. 21 at the Repreve Bottle Processing Center, part of the Unifi textile company in Yadkinville. America has lost more than 7 million factory jobs since manufacturing employment peaked in 1979. Yet American factory production, minus raw materials and some other costs, more than doubled over the same span to an inflation-adjusted $1.91 trillion last year, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. That’s a notch below the record set on the eve of the Great Recession in 2007, and it makes U.S. manufacturers No. 2 in the world behind China.

WASHINGTON […]

Donald Trump’s victory brings the jobs vs. automation issue into the spotlight

Donald Trump’s victory brings the jobs vs. automation issue into the spotlight

Robots work on Ford F-150 trucks at a factory in Norfolk, Va. The plant was closed in 2007. (Ford Photo) Six months ago, computer scientist Moshe Vardi felt as if he was a voice crying in the wilderness when it came to automation’s anticipated effect on the job market . No political candidate, it seemed, was talking about the potential impact of autonomous cars and automated manufacturing on future employment.

Today, the topic still isn’t quite on President-elect Donald Trump’s radar screen. But his election has gotten a lot more experts talking about the issue.

“It went from being somewhat esoteric […]

Some jobs are going but it’s automation, not free trade, that’s the problem

Some jobs are going but it’s automation, not free trade, that’s the problem

There has been a lot of talk of late – especially fired up due to the US presidential election – over the loss of manufacturing jobs. It is not a new phenomenon, after all Bruce Springsteen was singing in 1984 that “these jobs are going boys and they ain’t coming back”. And while the blame is easily laid at the feet of trade, figures from the USA show that the bigger reason is automation – and it will not be limited to manufacturing.

One of the problems with Trump’s narrative that free-trade agreements have been the major cause of job […]

Still optimistic about the future of jobs in a bot driven world

Still optimistic about the future of jobs in a bot driven world

Thanks to everyone who contributed to my optimistic discussion about the future of jobs in a bot driven world published earlier this month.

The quality of thinking and the passion of this readership is encouraging. In this article, I’d like to address some of the many thoughtful comments that were left. Before doing so, it’s important to draw attention to some of the underpinnings of my thinking which you can find here and here . They provide both a historical and economic context as to why I am optimistic, despite the many dire predictions that have, in my view, raised […]

How Robots Are Changing Minnesota’s Workforce

How Robots Are Changing Minnesota's Workforce

Photo by Ibrahim Hirsi/MinnPost Baxter, a two-armed robot, has been with Atlas Manufacturing for more than a year, performing tasks that would otherwise require two human operators. Atlas Manufacturing is just one of a growing number of places in Minnesota and across the country where automation is quickly and radically transforming the labor market.

On the main floor of Minneapolis-based Atlas Manufacturing, Baxter is hard at work: She places metal pieces on a giant machine in a process that bends and punches parts before picking up the pieces and carefully arranging them on a nearby counter.

It’s a repetitive task, […]

Trump’s Dismantling of Trade Deals Won’t Bring Most Jobs Back

Trump’s Dismantling of Trade Deals Won’t Bring Most Jobs Back

Trump in Charleston, West Virginia on May 5. Dramatic promises to restrict international trade were a signature element of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. So far, he seems to be following through. On Tuesday, he announced that he will withdraw U.S. participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership as one of his first acts in office.

Trump’s aggressive stance on trade helped him win working-class voters in Midwestern manufacturing states, where upset wins swept him into the White House. As president, Trump will be able to act on trade without approval by Congress. Both the U.S. Constitution and past acts of Congress give […]

Robots – not trade deals – killed factory jobs

Robots - not trade deals - killed factory jobs

Tonawanda Engine Plant Manager Steve Finch, right, says humans have to install, program and maintain the robots, so “it doesn’t mean that because I’ve put a robot in there that I’ve gotten rid of all the jobs.” (News file photo) Donald Trump’s critics fear he will turn back the clock, while backers fervently hope he can. But when it comes to one of his key campaign promises – bringing back manufacturing jobs lost to other countries – they are both missing the point.

Factory workers worried about their jobs as they rack up holiday bills should forget the question of […]

Thomas Friedman: Automation Is Killing Jobs

Thomas Friedman: Automation Is Killing Jobs

The world would be a much better place if the folks who wrote on economic issues at the NYT had at least an intro econ level understanding of economics. But apparently that is too much to expect, so we find Thomas Friedman telling readers:

"The one area where I think Trump is going to have the hardest time delivering on his campaign promises is to create ‘millions’ of good-paying jobs by incentivizing and pressuring American companies to manufacture more in the U.S. He still talks about America as a manufacturing wasteland when, in fact, manufacturing remains the largest sector of […]

Trump’s climate denial is just one of the forces that points towards war

Trump’s climate denial is just one of the forces that points towards war

Illustration by Andrzej Krauze Wave the magic wand and the problem goes away. Those pesky pollution laws, carbon caps and clean-power plans: swish them away and the golden age of blue-collar employment will return. This is Donald Trump’s promise, in his video message on Monday , in which the US president-elect claimed that unleashing coal and fracking would create “many millions of high-paid jobs”. He will tear down everything to make it come true.

But it won’t come true. Even if we ripped the world to pieces in the search for full employment, leaving no mountain unturned, we would not […]

Robots vs humans? AI and the future of the workplace

Robots vs humans? AI and the future of the workplace

TV series "Humans" shows robots taking over simple human tasks Photo: Channel 4 As more work becomes automated, jobs will be lost but also created. How can HR respond to the changes in the workplace that artificial intelligence brings, and build the right skills and culture to make the most of them?

Robots. Siri. Image recognition software. Thinking machines. Over the last decade, the types and definitions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have ranged across a wide spectrum. A future of smart homes and smart cars, driven by AI, is no longer a distant reality.

This future poses questions to businesses; […]