America Faces Skilled Labor Shortage Amid Pandemic-Accelerated Automation Boom | NBC News NOW

Companies have increased automation during the pandemic to allow for fewer employees and more social distancing. NBC News’ Ben Popken looks at the impact of automation and the skilled labor shortage.

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America Faces Skilled Labor Shortage Amid Pandemic-Accelerated Automation Boom | NBC News NOW

[Meleeman]

"were not training people for future jobs that exist"

dude. that's all i've heard growing up and we're still saying that.

[ntyeghtprcnt]

More people being laid off in the middle of a pandemic is not good! But companies don’t care about your family! Live your dream and not there’s!

[Resinball]

So you're paying a guy $50, 000 a year to create machines that eliminate more than 10 times their annual budget each... Why aren't these guys getting paid more? You guys are making a fortune you should be paying them more. The wage disparity is unreal.

[PODSMPSG]

Here's a thought: train people so they can become skilled.

[kcjazzy]

I call BS. I live in Germany and we have some of the most expensive workers in the world. But they are skilled and we have no unemployment problems even in the Pandemic. Robots must be repaired and maintained by people. The jobs are just changing and maybe that is a good thing.

[camadams]

There is not such thing as a skilled labor shortage.
We have an excess of companies unwilling to invest in employee training and unwilling to pay market rates for skilled labor

[ImYourAverageJoe]

As an automation engineer I love what I do but the reality is it take away jobs.

[christined]

Good luck finding a robot that can set up a cnc mill. Yes a robot can take a repetitive operator position but these are entry level positions. They will still need a live overseer to ensure parts are within specs.

[LetsKeepThePeace]

Not just America. It's like that all over the world.

[jameswhite]

Wages haven't kept up with inflation or the level of production expected from us for nearly 50 years. We can only take so much abuse and neglect before we just give up eventually.

[yamchayaku]

It's not just low wage jobs. It's also middle income earners. You have people who have jobs that are making 50k/yr. Annual Cost of living in the area is probably 60-80k/yr. The alternative is to live further out from the job where annual living is 45k/yr, but then spend nearly 3-4k/yr in commuting costs PLUS 3-6 hours wasted on the road going to work every day. Working remotely saved up on costs for a short time during this pandemic, but now businesses are demanding us to spend that extra 3-4k/yr again to work for them.

No wonder Americans are getting sick of getting businesses and we're experiencing a labor shortage.

[livefromplanetearth]

did the immigration crackdown plus covid lockdown cause the rise of the machines earlier than expected?

[menguardingtheirownwallets]

It used to be that PLC programmers and robotics technicians earned significantly MORE than basic assembly workers, but now the opposite is true, you have programmers being offered $17/hr if they have 5 years experience in process programming, yet a worker with no years experience is getting paid $19/hr to work on an auto parts manufacturing line. Why go for a 3-year training course for a job you will end up making LESS at?

[abcdef-kxqt]

18 hour work week & full benefits - that must be the future

[jadyfoster]

I am optimistic about AI and the future. I worked my keister off until disabled and old age..We know knew innovation is here to stay..embrace it..it will help humanity keep supply and demand even and ongoing without illnesses burn out and pandemics shutting down..just be fair and offer a basic living wage..people have been run like cheap labor machines to long .

[wow]

all kids hear growing up is go to college go to college go to college go to college go to college go to college go to college go to college

[alexventura]

HOW ARE PEOPLE GOING TO PAY FOR HEALTHCARE WITH A SMALL UBI CHECK EVERY MONTH

[AJourneyOfYourSoul]

When a recession happens, good luck laying off robots. Those robots have to be paid in full, whether they work or not.

[loganmahoney]

Nice to hear a technological, rational argument put forth. Everybody wants to scream that unemployment benefits are causing the labor shortage. Sure, the Pandemic exacerbated the issue. But it was already a problem pre2020 and its only going to get worse with time as boomers drop out of the work force and Millennials who are less in numbers and greater in education do not replace their roles.

[goldenplayer]

If we tax the machines to make warfare im not against it, this could work.