A faltering economy explains much of the job shortage in America, but advancing technology has sharply magnified the effect, more so than is generally understood, according to two researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
mk: Last night as I pulled out of the parking lot at the airport, I gave a machine my ticket, then my credit card. I pulled up and left before the car next to me was done with the one human teller in the other lane. I mentioned to my wife that that was one more job that no longer needed a person.The 21st century model seems to be: find a place where a person is doing a job, and see if you can do it without them. What are we going to do with these people? Seriously, take an uneducated or mildly educated person, and what job can't you imagine a machine doing? For me, manual labor in a complex environment, like construction or janitorial work comes to mind. Anything rote is game.