Software Is Hiring, But Manufacturing Is Bleeding

Nerval's Lobster writes: Which tech segment added the most jobs in August? According to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, tech consulting gained 7,000 positions in August, (Dice link) below July's gains of 11,100, but enough to set it ahead of data processing, hosting, and related services (which added 1,600 jobs) and computer and electronic-product manufacturing (which lost 1,800 jobs). The latest numbers reflect some longtime trends: The rise of cloud services and infrastructure has contributed to slackening demand for PCs and other hardware, eroding manufacturing jobs. At the same time, increased appetite for everything from Web developers to information-systems managers has kept employers adding positions in other technology segments. If that didn't make things difficult enough for manufacturing folks, the rise of automation has cut down on the number of manufacturing jobs available worldwide, contributing to continuing pressure on the segment as a whole, despite all the noise about bringing those jobs back to the U.S.

Comments

(Dice link)

[grimmjeeper]

At least they're being a little more up front about click bait now...

Re:Digitial Economy

[gstoddart]

Anyone who thinks we're ever going back to the 1950s economy, with vast numbers of well-paid manufacturing jobs for low-skilled workers, is either deluded, or a socialist. Oh, wait...

Or deluded and capitalist and claiming it's possible for companies to grow by 10% every year forever ... or that somehow giving tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations makes everyone else's lives better ... or that corporations are entitled to strip out the jobs from the parent society to maximize shareholder value.

Sorry, but in its current incarnation capitalism relies on just as much delusional fantasy and bullshit as communism ever did.

And it might surprise you that many countries have struck a nice balance between having private industry and pretending like you can have a functioning society if nobody pays for it.

But keep making it into your idiotic partisan position, and keep on demonstrating you're an idiot.

Manufacturing vs Jobs in Manufacturing

[PeterJFraser]

Manufacturing is coming back, but the manufacturing that is coming back is automated. The manufacturing jobs are not coming back.

Re:Digitial Economy

[tedgyz]

Or deluded and capitalist and claiming it's possible for companies to grow by 10% every year forever ...

This has always struck me as obviously delusional, yet every corporation marches to the same beat. When I worked at HP, I remember how disappointed the stock magi were when we only increased revenue 9% instead of 10%. I kept asking myself, "What are these people going to do when we run out of customers?" I know the Earth's population is growing, but not fast enough for corporate goals.

Sure China, India, and other emerging economies will give a good customer base, but those countries are mostly going to sell local products.

Re:Digitial Economy

[gstoddart]

It's predicated on impossible assumptions, and there are not enough resources to either make or have people be able to buy these products.

It's completely irrational the way the stock market works, because it's utterly impossible.

All it is in the near term is moving around resources to benefit corporations and maximize "shareholder value", and therefore "executive bonuses".

It's a fucking Ponzi scheme. It's a lie. It's a complete work of fiction.

Capitalism as it stands now simply cannot work and achieve the outcomes it claims.

Re:Anyone know if

[ErichTheRed]

I think it's that we're producing fewer goods that require unskilled manufacturing labor. US GDP is heavily skewed by high-ticket military equipment, cars and airplanes (Boeing, Lockheed, GM, Ford, etc.) So instead of millions of textile and toy factories employing a huge middle class, we have massive mostly automated factories that don't employ anyone from the unskilled pool and very few from the skilled pool. One $3 billion airplane doesn't add the same number of jobs that $3 billion worth of consumer goods does.

Growing up in a Rust Belt city, I saw exactly what the first loss of manufacturing did in the 80s. Factory work wasn't glamorous, but it paid well, had good benefits based on union membership, and it was stable. Low-skilled guys were able to live a middle class life, put their kids through school, and buy things occasionally to power the local economy. Even a local bar or pizza place was affected by 5000+ workers in 3 shifts working steel mills, car plants, etc. Now it looks like the entire country is going to turn into the Rust Belt, and I'm not a big fan of that idea.

Old Joke

[rsilvergun]

There's a conservative, a working man and a Union man at a table with 10 cookies. The conservative snatches up 9 cookies and gobbles them up. Then he turns to the working man and says "Hey, watch out, that guys gonna eat your cookie".