Sad fact of life... productivity is the driving force behind tepid job growth

[True Earthling]

Corporations will not hire anyone or save a job out of compassion or moral obligation... they only care about getting the maximum output with the fewest employees.

U.S. productivity gains stifle job creation
By Paul Wiseman, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The United States is out of step with the rest of the world’s richest industrialized nations: Its economy is growing faster than theirs but creating far fewer jobs.

The reason is that U.S. workers have become so productive that it’s harder for anyone without a job to get one.

Companies are producing and profiting more than when the recession began, despite fewer workers. They’re hiring again, but not fast enough to replace most of the 7.5 million jobs lost since the recession began.
Measured in growth, the American economy has outperformed those of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — every Group of Seven developed nation except Canada, according to the Associated Press’ new Global Economy Tracker, a quarterly analysis of 22 countries representing more than 80% of global output.

Yet the U.S. job market remains the group’s weakest. U.S. employment bottomed and started growing again a year ago, but there are still 5.4% fewer American jobs than in December 2007. That’s a much sharper drop than in any other G-7 country. The U.S. had the G-7’s highest unemployment rate as of December.

Canada and Germany have actually added jobs since the recession ended in June 2009.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2011-04-04-us-economy-jobs.htm

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. No.

Increasing productivity is a good thing. The problem is that the benefits of increased productivity aren't being spent in ways that increase demand - e.g. higher wages

[tridim]

2. Software that I helped develop 10 years ago to make my job easier..

Now makes my job nearly unnecessary, and easily outsourcable.

My bad.

[MrTriumph]

3. Baloney. Currency manipulation that makes China's goods cheap and

prevents American companies from competing.

[physioex]

5. True enough.....

And a cheap labor force with no regulations or environmental laws. I think the gig is up somewhat, I have been in auto parts stores and I see a steady rise in Chinese made goods. The party has to come to an end sometime.

[Taverner]

4. I am wondering if a productivity "brown out" would be in order

That is a nationally coordinated effort to do half the work one would usually do

Not quite a strike but not quite giving the fat cats what they want either

[DaveJ]

6. At least a shorter work week or more vacation time...

or is that unamurican?

[Taverner]

8. According to your boss and the GOP it is

But to hell with them

[DaveJ]

9. Well my boss has always been brownouting

But somehow I do not think we could get away with it.

Perhaps it is actually up to the individual to find different jobs that do allow a shorter work schedule. As more of us do this, it could eventually become the standard.

[jwirr]

7. Corporations are not hiring because they, like the rethugs, want to

keep a poor economy going until they have gotten rid of President Obama.