One of the points that Donald Trump made that seemed to gain a lot of attention was his claim that “China is stealing jobs” and that he’s going to bring jobs back to America. He’s trying to keep this promise, and has brokered a deal that ensures 1000 jobs will be kept in a company called Carrier. They had originally wanted to move their plant to Mexico, where labor was cheaper. Trump has practically bribed them into staying in America, awarding the company “7 million dollars in tax incentives.”
However, outsourcing jobs is a safe bet for companies trying to cut down on costs, but automation is taking over. Nike has closed factories in China in favor of automation, and saw huge profits. This means that many workers who rely on low skill jobs to survive are in danger of losing their job, and it’s not because of outsourcing like Donald Trump claims, but in fact, automation. Researchers have been warning us for ages on the dangers for the labor force in the age of automation, and since it’s too late to prevent it, people should start focusing on how to mitigate its negative effects. If technology takes away many jobs, we will be forced to specialize in different fields.
