Despite Trump’s promises, manufacturing jobs are not coming back to the US and here is why: most of the manufacturing jobs are lost due to robots and automation. The reality is computers and robots do repetitive, mundane tasks better than humans. They always have and they always will, and as we move to more efficient technology and smarter AI, this will be true more than ever.
The factories may be coming back, but the jobs are not. There will be some jobs generated, but not in the amount people are hoping for.
Instead of focusing on the past, we need to embrace the opportunities in front of us. Implement programs to retrain workers to do jobs difficult for robots. Help people learn to use and understand technology, so we have a diverse workforce to solve problems. Create social safety nets, to help people who are transitioning between jobs and careers. There is still a lot of work to do, and we have people that want to work. We need to get better at connecting people to the work that needs to be done!
Andrea Vickery 