Manufacturing Jobs Are Never Coming Back

[cawacko]

Not as painful as watching his gullible supporters lapping up every word he spews like it's the Gospel truth.

Just like Bernie supporters who do the same for his pie in the sky government programs "revolution".

[Celticguy]

Just like Bernie supporters who do the same for his pie in the sky government programs "revolution".

Just like hilarity fans trying to defend her endless failures

[Mott the Hoople]

Energy jobs are essentially manufacturing jobs since energy will always need produced. We still have an abundance of it. We need leadership with imagination. I'd start with EPA regulations.

LOL, LOL, LOL, LOL. Real imagination there. Lock us into obsolete technologies while giving away free exemption to pollute.

[Mott the Hoople]

I don't know what they need to do. I've been to a number of workshops this year where they are assuring us (teachers) that there will be no jobs in America for people without some sort of post high school training in the coming years. That is a recipe for disaster and for just what we have happening now...a bunch of young people voting for socialism whether Bernie Sanders' brand of it or someone else's. It is all some of these kids can do to get through high school. Not everyone is meant for college. It is simply not practical to think that a society doesn't need unskilled labor positions. And when these kids can't make a living when they get out of high school, they're going to look for someone to take care of them. Right now it's Grandpa Bernie.

Oh you guys are such pessimist. As the Who said...the kids are all right. We're the ones who are screwed up. Bernie isn't no different than the New Deal Democrats who saved capitalism from itself in the thirties.

Manufacturing jobs are impacted by automation, technology eliminates jobs in some areas but, and the article fails to mention this fact, creates jobs in service, supply, logistics, technology, technical support, customer support, financial services, etc, downstream.

The economic outlook for kids today, even the low achieving kids, is far better for them than it was for me at their age. So kids will have to deal with more education. Ok fine. My grandfathers Generation only about 25% of the population had high school education. That was only up to 75 % in my fathers generation. In my generation only about 20% of the population had college degrees. Now fully 40% or more have college education or tech training beyond high school.

So what's the solution? The same thing it's always been. More investment in public education, including post secondary education in traditional liberal arts and non-traditional technical training and trades.

Now who out there has thus far sighted commitment to extensive investment in education like we did after WWII....Oh yeah it's that no good rotten demon of a Socialist Bernie Sanders.

Deride it as socialism if you want but Bernies right. We need to invest aggressively in our children's education at all levels if they are going to compete with other kids from other countries who do have the fore sight to make these investments on education. So demonizing a good...no a great...idea with the socialism boogeyman gets us no where.

[cawacko]

Oh you guys are such pessimist. As the Who said...the kids are all right. We're the ones who are screwed up. Bernie isn't no different than the New Deal Democrats who saved capitalism from itself in the thirties.

Manufacturing jobs are impacted by automation, technology eliminates jobs in some areas but, and the article fails to mention this fact, creates jobs in service, supply, logistics, technology, technical support, customer support, financial services, etc, downstream.

The economic outlook for kids today, even the low achieving kids, is far better for them than it was for me at their age. So kids will have to deal with more education. Ok fine. My grandfathers Generation only about 25% of the population had high school education. That was only up to 75 % in my fathers generation. In my generation only about 20% of the population had college degrees. Now fully 40% or more have college education or tech training beyond high school.

So what's the solution? The same thing it's always been. More investment in public education, including post secondary education in traditional liberal arts and non-traditional technical training and trades.

Now who out there has thus far sighted commitment to extensive investment in education like we did after WWII....Oh yeah it's that no good rotten demon of a Socialist Bernie Sanders.

Deride it as socialism if you want but Bernies right. We need to invest aggressively in our children's education at all levels if they are going to compete with other kids from other countries who do have the fore sight to make these investments on education. So demonizing a good...no a great...idea with the socialism boogeyman gets us no where.

The reason Bernie gets rightfully criticized on education is his idea that one size fits all public school education based on a 20th century model is what's needed in the 21st century.

On a per student basis not many countries outspend the U.S. That's not to say more money wouldn't be better but Bernie doesn't speak about changes in the system, just in delivery of dollars.

And ultimately Bernie's plan of "free" education will hurt the product, not improve it. So his socialism is rightly demonized.

[Rune]

This is not an area I am well-versed on, but, I imagine it is like the evolving system of retirement. In the old days, Pre-Greatest, Greatest and Lost Generation, plus early Boomers, could retire on a traditional pension/benefits plan and SS (Medicare/Medicaid came along, as well), and be set. Nowadays, you probably aren't going to receive a traditional pension plan or SS. Now, it's all about building an IRA/Roth, 401k, investment portfolio (even if it's just mutual funds and annuities), and, hopefully, a decent long-term care insurance policy.


The idea that we are a services, rather than a manufacturing, economy, has always sounded a bit irksome and defeatist to me. This is a good article, though.

It's not entirely true.
We are the second largest manufacturing company in the world. Large factories may not be returning soon but manufacturing startups are booming.
In addition to energy, value added food products are manufacturing as well and we are seeing quantum leaps in the variety of high end food products entering the market. Food is a better product for marketing than durable goods as well because of repeat sales.
In addition to value added food, aqua-culture , organics, and any and all specialty and niche foods and farmers markets are experiencing explosive growth.
The future is not as bleak as the author indicates.
There are still opportunities just not where they used to be.
Of course it is obvious that the idea of graduating High School, marrying Suzy and working with dad and uncle bob at the factory then retiring after 40 years with a fat pension from FOMOCO are over.
I wouldn't be so glib about S.S. quite yet, though of course you should plan otherwise.

[Minister of Truth]

The WA economy has stabilized dramatically since 1980. Before that, the fate of Boeing in the latter parts of the 50s, 60s, and 70s could cause devastation to the area (with logging, agriculture, and fisheries being equally volatile). In 1969, Seattle had a mini-depression going on, and led the nation with 12% unemployment. Then, along came Microsoft and the tech industry. We now enjoy the presence of Amazon, Costco, Starbucks, and T-Mobile, in addition to Boeing and Weyerhaeuser, plus many smaller companies.

[philly rabbit]

As I suspected you are incapable of discussing the economic topic of manufacturing jobs. You probably believe tariffs and trade wars are a good thing and will magically return us to a 1950's style economy.

You and the OP can't comprehend what Trump is saying. He didn't mean the jobs that you gave to foreigners are coming back. He meant that new jobs wont go to foreigners but will go to Americans instead.

During the 1950's, this country wasn't running a trade deficit of billions of dollars which you call free trade. We are for fair trade, not protectionism.

By the way, Lincoln supported protectionism, we support free trade which is beneficial for America.

[cawacko]

You and the OP can't comprehend what Trump is saying. He didn't mean the jobs that you gave to foreigners are coming back. He meant that new jobs wont go to foreigners but will go to Americans instead.

During the 1950's, this country wasn't running a trade deficit of billions of dollars which you call free trade. We are for fair trade, not protectionism.

By the way, Lincoln supported protectionism, we support free trade which is beneficial for America.

Please share with us how Trump (and the government) is going to dictate where new jobs will be located?

I mean I'm all for new good paying jobs in the U.S. but it doesn't just happen because of tariffs and trade wars.

[SmarterthanYou]

bringing manufacturing jobs back to America is not possible so long as an elitist culture sits in and controls congress.

the ONLY way to CREATE new manufacturing jobs in the USA are to 1) make it easier for people with little means to start up new factories and 2) stop congress from making rich people richer...and that INCLUDES democrats in office.

[philly rabbit]

Please share with us how Trump (and the government) is going to dictate where new jobs will be located?

I mean I'm all for new good paying jobs in the U.S. but it doesn't just happen because of tariffs and trade wars.

I asked you if you supported a fifteen percent corporate tax rate and you said yes you did. You bring back jobs to America by lowering corporate taxes. You start working with corporations by giving them tax incentives, you don't oppose corporations and blame them for the country's ills.

Don't give me unions, unions are no longer job outsourcing job killers, taxes are.

[philly rabbit]

Please share with us how Trump (and the government) is going to dictate where new jobs will be located?

I mean I'm all for new good paying jobs in the U.S. but it doesn't just happen because of tariffs and trade wars.

The people that are practicing protectionism are the country's trading partners like China and South Korea. American manufacturers cannot sell their products in other countries because of high tariffs. Raise their tariffs and force them to be competitive.

That's called fair trade, not protectionism.

[christiefan915]

This is a big part of Trump's appeal. Maybe his lower educated supporters can get jobs cleaning hotels, gardening, washing dishes in restaurants etc. after all the illegals are kicked out.

Manufacturing Jobs Are Never Coming Back

<snip>

I don't disagree with most of this, but manufacturing was going downhill long before NAFTA.

[cawacko]

I don't disagree with most of this, but manufacturing was going downhill long before NAFTA.

Automation and off-shoring were going on in the '70's. NAFTA just happens to be lightening rod legislation people look at.

[christiefan915]

Automation and off-shoring were going on in the '70's. NAFTA just happens to be lightening rod legislation people look at.

It doesn't make much sense to me from looking at the graph. Looks like from 1994 on, big changes didn't start until 2001.