Why aren't people lamenting more over the loss of agricultural jobs? We went from 33% Agricultural jobs to just 2%, thanks to automation, yet we love one form of manual labor more than the other. Even in China and other outsourced countries, manufacturing jobs are being replaced by automation.
This romancing of manufacturing jobs is a strange cultural obsession in the U.S. Maybe it's because our "American" identity is tied to working hard to producing physical things, but I digress.
Easy, back then: heavy back-braking vastly underpaid agricultural jobs with inconsistent hours were replaced on a voluntary basis by offering people higher pay in factories. Aside from agricultural employers, no complaints.
Now: we'll take that $30 per hour job you've been doing for 15-20 years thank you. Oh you need a job ? How about this 10$ per hour (with unpaid overtime and a horrible boss) burger flipping job ? No ? How about these 3 part time $8.75 per hour jobs that will require you to commute between them, at least once per day, cannot be done without a car (that your employer is not paying for) ... Better job ? You do have a masters or phd, right ? No ? Well don't expect them to even call back.
There is no romancing of manufacturing jobs, I believe that's a misunderstanding. There is a romancing of reliable, long-term, well-paying jobs. Once you get that, it's very easy to understand.
If the service economy cannot provide that, it's just not a replacement of the manufacturing jobs. The leftist/democrat point of view used to be that if the "new economic reality" can't provide that, it needs to be legislated out of existence, attacked and opposed at every turn. Now Trump is the one providing that viewpoint on the republican side.
I seem to remember that in the late 80s we had a similar push. Everyone pushed to be "little entrepreneurs" (ha!). Doing package delivery. Cold calling sales. Pyramid schemes. It was legislated out of existence, rightfully.
And yes, I get it. This is hacker news. "Legislated out of existence, attacked and opposed at every turn", we're taking about airbnb, uber, sprig, delivery hero, ... and by extension about google, yahoo, facebook, etc ... You really don't want those companies opposed, or god help us, destroyed, for obvious reasons. You don't get why that people feel that needs to happen, because none of your friends are confronted with reality like this, and there aren't any family members providing a perspective of what manufacturing brings. I just hope I can bring some more viewpoints in the picture here.
Except nobody is talking about the bringing the reliable, long term service jobs back to the U.S. Manufacturing is only 11% of our jobs, Agriculture 2%, yet manufacturing is what is being romanced.
Nobody wants to be out in the summer heat, with the sun blazing down. And then, the work itself is back-breaking hard work. And it never paid as well as the industrial and manufacturing jobs paid.
And you're also competing (in the South) with temp immigrants at low low wages, because those wages are good compared to Mexico.
Again, look at countries that do keep their manufacturing jobs. So maybe you think China and Mexico are backwards countries, so let me put it this way then. Look at what Germany and Japan are still doing.
Service jobs are mostly waiting tables, generously interpreted (e.g. from in an Actual restaurant, in a bar, in McDonalds up to maybe stacking shelves).
This romancing of manufacturing jobs is a strange cultural obsession in the U.S. Maybe it's because our "American" identity is tied to working hard to producing physical things, but I digress.