There has been quite a bit of talk lately about the fate of manufacturing and how to bring it back. The problem is that its the wrong question. Manufacturing can’t come back because it didn’t leave. It changed. Of course manufacturing isn’t the only thing that has changed. Business in general has changed and morphed. Where most manufacturing was once done by hand and people tightened screws manually, now those screws are tightened by robots and fewer manufacturing jobs are available.
Or are there?
Jobs in manufacturing have changed. Where a worker is not needed to assemble every piece, workers are needed to program the machines that do that work. People are needed to maintain and fix those robots. Jobs haven’t vanished they have changed. To stay on top of the changes you need to adapt. Learn to code. Coding is quickly becoming the new blue collar work.
Manufacturing isn’t the only place this change is being felt. Minimum wage jobs in fast food restaurant are being replaced by tablets. Same situation. These tablets still need to be programmed, maintained, and repaired.
Skip ahead to when this transition is complete. The robots and tablets cost less in the long term and produce more. As supply goes up prices go down. The number of jobs will be compatible but the content of those jobs will be vastly different. This is why personal development is so important. Keep learning new skills so you can adapt to the changing workplace. Don’t lock yourself in to when things were “better.” To quote Billy Joel, “The good old days weren’t always good, and tomorrow’s not as bad as it seems.”
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