Why the poor don't move

[doodab]

A made a slight change for you

Over the past 200-300 years a lot of jobs have been automated out of existence. New jobs eventually fill their place and overall productivity goes up.

Overall productivity goes up but utilization may well go down, with the end result being concentration of wealth in the hands of the few, mass unemployment, resentment of the unemployed and social unrest.

There is an article on the topic in this month's comm. ACM. Not read it yet.

[doodab]

, we don't have 95% unemployment

That depends if you count dead wood that's technically "employed" but does nothing useful.

[Spacecadet]

Overall productivity goes up but utilization may well go down, with the end result being concentration of wealth in the hands of the few, mass unemployment, resentment of the unemployed and social unrest.

There is an article on the topic in this month's comm. ACM. Not read it yet.

Again, this is something which has happened several times before in history, give it another 30 years and it will happen again

[Mich the Tester]

That depends if you count dead wood that's technically "employed" but does nothing useful.

Dutch statistics; population 17,000,000, working population 7.4 million, of whom about 700,000 are unemployed, another 700,000 on long term sickness benefits, another few hundred thousand (difficult to get precise figures) freelancers with no work, plus about 250,000 people in direct employ of the government. The figures can't carry on adding up.

[Mich the Tester]

Again, this is something which has happened several times before in history, give it another 30 years and it will happen again

Yes, but should you tolerate the destruction as it happens? I think the last 100 years should have taught us what mass poverty can cause.

[Spacecadet]

Yes, but should you tolerate the destruction as it happens? I think the last 100 years should have taught us what mass poverty can cause.

And as a result of past destruction we now have more robust social policies, free healthcare, education and housing which should prevent most people falling into absolute poverty.

[Mich the Tester]

And as a result of past destruction we now have more robust social policies, free healthcare, education and housing which should prevent most people falling into absolute poverty.

But aren't working for huge numbers of people, and indeed entire chunks of the country; you can blame the gummint, the people themselves or the EU or anyone else, but this isn't working and needs improvement because if we think we've seen mass unemployment due to the likes of automated manufacturing and containerised ports, we 'ain't seen nothing yet'.

[shaunbhoy]

That depends if you count dead wood that's technically "employed" but does nothing useful.

Like Consular Services for example?

[Mich the Tester]

Like Consular Services for example?

Most of them have been outsourced.

[doodab]

And as a result of past destruction we now have more robust social policies, free healthcare, education and housing which should prevent most people falling into absolute poverty.

Yes, and the percentage of the population that has to pay for it all does nothing but whinge about it.