Current Events » in reply to re: Specialization and Globalization

"Dream jobs," and the data.

TB — 4/21/2007 5:09:15 PM (archived)

I've thought long and hard, and I have never seen any "dream job" I wanted that was only available in some other country. Maybe a few "dream vacations."

Now, if you're talking "gotta make a living somehow" jobs, a lot of those have moved around the planet, but new jobs appear in the U.S., too. Just different ones.

Manufacturing employment since 1939 peaked in 1979 at about 19.5 million. Currently, it's at 14.1 million. It hasn't been this low since 1950.

Yet in 1979, there were about 90 million non-farm payroll jobs. Today there are over 137 million. Since 1939, this number has gone up steadily with minor glitches.

Note the difference in the scales on the left. Imagine the manufacturing graph mapped onto the payroll graph.

Think about that. While manufacturing jobs dropped by 5.4 million, jobs overall increased by 47 million. Is this destruction, or just change?

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The whole thread (29 posts)

• "Factory Jobs: 3 Million Lost Since 2000" - Bowser - 4/20/2007 10:44:08 PM
  • Sure but...There are still Millions more manufacturing jobs in the USA today than there were in the 1960's... (n/t) - The Artist formerly known as Scott Evil - 4/23/2007 1:17:11 PM
    • Not true. - TB - 4/23/2007 4:30:06 PM
      • I stand corrected... - The Artist formerly known as Scott Evil - 4/24/2007 3:39:32 PM
        • Probably not true either. - TB - 4/24/2007 3:58:59 PM
          • True they wouldn't be better off working for the government... - The Artist formerly known as Scott Evil - 4/24/2007 10:07:17 PM
  • re:Yet 2 million new jobs were created in the last 12 months - SteveS - 4/21/2007 3:59:39 PM
    • The response is like having a boat filling with 3 cubic feet of water per minute while 2 cubic feet per minute is pumped out. (n/t) - Jacob Samorodin - 4/21/2007 6:21:55 PM
      • re:Hows since August 2003, more than 7.8 million jobs have been created? - SteveS - 4/22/2007 2:47:21 AM
      • Comparing apples to apples... - TB - 4/21/2007 10:49:13 PM
  • So, what's the answer? - TB - 4/20/2007 11:18:17 PM
    • There are no simple answers. - Bowser - 4/21/2007 4:03:58 AM
      • re: There are no simple answers. - Hans - 4/21/2007 7:33:01 AM
        • It's not a right. But it's a good thing to have in a country. - TB - 4/21/2007 4:35:14 PM
          • re: It's not a right. But it's a good thing to have in a country. - Hans - 4/22/2007 11:01:09 AM
            • U.S. GDP currently around seven times China's. - TB - 4/22/2007 7:45:17 PM
              • Any data on the current rate of change of GDP in the US and China? - Laurie Street - 4/23/2007 5:34:11 PM
                • I tend to be suspicious of "per capita" statistics... - TB - 4/23/2007 5:44:58 PM
              • re: U.S. GDP currently around seven times China's. - Hans - 4/23/2007 5:28:09 PM
      • Economics As If Reality Mattered. - TB - 4/21/2007 4:31:33 AM
      • What's comfortable? - Lee - 4/21/2007 4:27:53 AM
    • Specialization and Globalization - SDF - 4/21/2007 2:07:49 AM
      • re: Specialization and Globalization - TB - 4/21/2007 5:17:56 AM
        • re: Specialization and Globalization - SDF - 4/21/2007 4:40:56 PM
          • "Dream jobs," and the data. - TB - 4/21/2007 5:09:15 PM
    • A massive add campaign on buy "Made In The USA" wouldn't hurt. - Lee - 4/21/2007 1:53:56 AM
    • Cook the CEO's up in a pot of stew? - Lindy - 4/21/2007 1:03:20 AM
      • re: Cook the CEO's up in a pot of stew? - Hans - 4/21/2007 7:36:23 AM
        • "Today, CEOs are assured of getting rich..... - Lindy - 4/24/2007 8:15:02 PM