An op-ed in the Ancaster News1 recently went through some of the ways that businesses are automating jobs away and asked the question of whether this is a bad thing or not. The newspaper also seized on the topic by running a poll to ask readers whether the pace of automation should be slowed down to protect jobs. As of this publication, 43.8% of respondents agreed.
While the ship has certainly sailed on automation eliminating a lot of mind-numbingly repetitive or dangerous jobs — how many people are still employed weaving fabric in North American factories? — there are still a large number of people who depend on simple jobs to earn a living. So, if a government body were to introduce legislation requiring companies to maintain a certain level of employment, what would that look like? Is it even tenable?
a really local newspaper from near where I grew up. I read it mainly because … I don't know. I haven't lived in the area since 2002, but tend to keep abreast of the area's news.