Paul Krugman: America's New Employment Reality
For years people like me have been engaged in a running argument with those who insist that the reason we have high unemployment is that American workers don't have the skills required for a 21st-century economy. It's normally implied, although not always stated, that they're talking about technological skills, knowledge of science and math, and in general the cutting edge.
My side's response has always been: Show us the money. If certain skills are in short supply, show us the workers with these skills who are being offered premium wages; show us the employers laying out real dollars to train the workers they need.
Sure enough, The New York Times recently published a fascinating article about a resurgent industry hampered by a lack of skilled workers, offering sharply higher wages and investing in training. The skill in question? Operating sewing machines. The article, by the way, ties in with some of my recent writing about the possibility that globalization is running out of steam.
What's driving the demand for garment workers is a modest but significant "reshoring" of apparel production. In general, if manufacturing in the United States revives, we'll see that what we really need are a lot of lost manual skills. Back in 2007 there was a shortage of machinists, pipe fitters, and the like. This may be coming back. This probably isn't the future many people expected. But it's better than no jobs at all.
140-Character Assassination
The question of the moment is whether the sane Republicans in the United States will, out of fear for their own political skins, defer to the insane Republicans and allow a government shutdown, or the much scarier possibility of debt default. Amid this drama, however, it's worth remembering that even the sane ones are pretty much off the deep end already, all too willing to buy into crazy conspiracy theories.
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http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/19565-americas-new-employment-reality
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Laelth
(32,017 posts)-Laelth
JayhawkSD
(3,163 posts)Are you kidding me? These are GREAT jobs. These are the jobs to which my generation aspired. We worked for years in apprenticeships to become journeymen in these jobs. We worked lifetimes in these jobs, raised families on what they paid, and were proud to hold these jobs.
BlueMTexpat
(15,369 posts)and we should all value them. Although this article is from 2012, it's worth a read. http://feweek.co.uk/2012/07/09/learning-from-the-swiss-system-of-apprenticeships/
I understand that at least some US states have been looking at the Swiss trade apprenticeship model. It's not necessarily a choice between needed vocational and academic skills. It can be a very logical and practical sequence. See, e.g., from the article:
There was a great deal more of interest but you sensed the relative economic and business stability. The best employers saw apprenticeships as the primary vehicle for their future supply of young people who could be trained and moulded for their business or to help the economy at large. Simple and impressive.
I sincerely believe that one of the problems with the US generally is that too many of our brilliant young people went from purely academic settings into executive positions in industries without ever having had to work at - or understand - some of the basics about those industries.
JayhawkSD
(3,163 posts)Too many young people want to serve as chiefs without serving the probationary period to have learned the trade first.
The show "Underground Boss" demonstrates this perfectly. The executive goes out in the field and not only is unable to perform the tasks that his employee performs, he does not even know what those tasks are or why they are needed. That is ridiculous, and it is no wonder that companies fail. I would have been utterly humiliated to demonstrate that I could not have performed the tasks that I was expecting my employees to perform.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)Not everyone is destined for the University. Nor do they want to be.
However, at least in Germany, there is a strong labor union presence. So training people in the trades is a wonderful thing, but if they don't have clout in the market with corporations who want their labor, there must be a countervailing force, e.g.., labor unions.
BlueMTexpat
(15,369 posts)But ALL who work need to be valued for their contributions to society as a whole.
And in Germany, Switzerland and other Western European nations that are doing quite well economically, not only are there strong unions, but corporations actually value keeping skilled workers in their own country because that contributes greatly to the economy of the whole country rather than simply enriching a few at the very top. The corporate model in Germany at least also has non-management employees who are elected to serve on corporate boards.
But what is also interesting about many Western European societies today is that beginning as an apprentice does not necessarily preclude attending university, as was the case in earlier generations. In addition, many nations have also incorporated US models of continuing adult education.
What is sad is that we "exceptional" Americans do not seem to want to learn from other nations at all. They have learned a lot from us - yes! - but more recently they are learning what NOT to do. And we also seem conveniently to forget that many of our earliest breakthrough technological advances came from immigrants schooled in Europe and elsewhere.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)I think the slogan "Medicare for All" is a brilliant example of rebranding. Tea baggers won't scream if Medicare continues along, and they can hardly object when such a successful program is expanded to include everybody. After all, you can't just champion the program for "some" (them) and scream bloody murder when what they love is extended to their kids and grandkids.
"Apprentice Programs" doesn't sound like "socialism" but could be our own form of European socialism. Somehow we have to take back pride in the union movement, which is the key to better paying jobs with good benefits, something nobody could argue against.
But, first things first. Let's win back the House of Representatives in 2014...
BlueMTexpat
(15,369 posts)wave length! 
