Speaking Of Unemployment - I Am A Serial Job Killer

[dkf]

John Jazwiec's blog:

Why I am writing about this is in such a straight forward way? First, because, even though I know what I have to do for a living, it does not mean it sits well with me. Second, there are a lot of people like me, that have been killing jobs, for the last two decades.

The latter point is relevant here. We have high systemic employment. The most optimistic projections, don't point to full employment, until 2020. I think that is generous and unrealistic.

You see, any job that can be eliminated though technology or cheaper labor is by definition not coming back. The worker can come back. They most often come back by being underemployed. Others upgrade their skills and return to previous levels of compensation. But as a whole, the productivity gains over the last twenty years, have changed the landscape of what is a sustainable job.

What is a sustainable job? The best way I can articulate, what is a sustainable job, is to tell you, as a job killer, jobs I can't kill. I can't kill creative people. There is no productivity solution or outsourcing that I can sell, to eliminate a creative person. I can't kill unique value creators. A unique value creator is, well, unique. They might be someone with a relationship with a client. They might be someone who is a great salesmen. They might be someone who has spent so much time mastering a market, that they are subject matter experts, and I know technology or outsourcing can't be built profitably to eliminate a single unique job.

http://www.johnjazwiecblog.com/2011/06/speaking-of-unemployment-i-am-a-serial-job-killer.html

[kentuck]

1. I wonder how someone could stop you?

Before you kill again? Or do we just assume that the marketplace cannot make rules to stop jobs from leaving without a penalty?

[dkf]

2. Did you read the whole thing? It's a fascinating piece but very worrisome.

It goes to the type of education and attitude our kids will need to survive...basically simply having a college degree won't do it.

We are all at risk and to your point what does keep people from being laid off? Not even unions can help.

[kentuck]

6. Yeah, but I don't buy it.

I don't believe that the people in Asia can do the job better than Americans and that the problem lies with our education system. It is not about education - it is about profits and lower wages. There is not a job in any country overseas that cannot be learned by an American in a vocational school in 6 months. I think that is a bullshit excuse.

[dkf]

7. Wow that isn't what I got from that piece at all.

This is how he kills jobs: "Speaking of high systemic unemployment and killing - I am in the business of killing jobs. I kill jobs in three ways. I kill jobs when I sell, I kill jobs by killing competitors and I kill jobs by focusing on internal productivity. All of the companies, I have been a CEO of, through best-in-practice services and software, eliminate jobs. They eliminate jobs by automation, outsourcing and efficiencies of process. The marketing is clear - less workers, more consistent output."

Moreover these are jobs he has killed overall, not by moving them to Asia. He personally does it with technology and efficiency.

[kentuck]

9. What does "outsourcing" mean to you?

??

[dkf]

10. Outsourcing means it isn't done in-house.

That doesn't necessarily mean its done in another country.

Payroll services are an example.

[kentuck]

11. Not necessarily...

but usually.

[SheilaT]

3. Sometimes jobs that people at first thought couldn't

be outsourced, turn out to be readily outsourcible.

Several years ago a physician friend of mind became greatly disturbed to learn that a lot of radiology, mainly the reading of x-rays and the like, were being outsourced. Naturally this doctor had friends who were radiologists, so that was some of the concern, but it was couched more in terms of "How can I trust that the radiologist in India is doing as good a job as the one here in the hospital."

I don't think that doctor really got it that more jobs than people realize can be outsourced or eliminated. I'm looking forward to the day when the fast food restaurants are totally automated, no humans working there at all, and everything is paid for with credit or debit card so that there's no cash on the premises. Don't laugh. It could happen.

[dkf]

4. I agree.

[lunatica]

5. Vending machine fast food. It's already here if you want a bag of chips

[supernova]

8. Will write a rebuttal later

This article incenses me on several levels, beginning with the person writing the article. Not all people who are called "boss" should have that title, and in the world to come, shouldn't automatically have it.

There is our factory-widget model educational system, yes. But that's only half of it. We have businesses that still value conformity over innovation, even businesses that supposedly thrive on innovation. If we really have innovative businesses across our entire culture, Apple wouldn't have the notoriety it does.

Anyway, more comprehensive essay later, have to go visit the in-laws now.

[jwirr]

12. This article is screaming to the students at occupy. They went to

college and owe a fortune for it. Yet there is no security in what they have. I have two grandchildren who are not making enough for a living. They want to go to school but the question is "for what?". Everyone is encouraging them to go - I am telling them to first find something that is going to stay around. This is a sorry state our world has come to.

And the problem is clear - the so called elected officials who are supposed to represent us do not have the foggiest idea that there is a problem or what to do about it.

Get those gardens in next spring and learn some basic skills. We are going to need them.

[Kumbricia]

13. Never say never

The labor conditions around the world are not static so "cheaper labor" may not always be so. Labor solidarity helped force factory jobs that paid a pittance in the early 20th century to become living wage jobs and may well do so again. And American trade policies and tariffs may someday be more beneficial for the majority of workers in the country, not just the extremely wealthy, so that can shift the balance too. Sorry to say the John Jaweiczs of the world only see conditions and trends of the present, not the dynamics and possibilities and the past and future.