Technology and the Future of JobsJames Hall The global economy is being reshaped by machines that generate and analyze vast amounts of data; by devices such as smartphones and tablet computers that let people work just about anywhere, even when theyre on the move; by smarter, nimbler robots; and by services that let businesses rent computing power when they need it, instead of installing expensive equipment and hiring IT staffs to run it. This reality is all around us, but the full impact yet appreciated is that the cloud of computing is not increasing business employment for the main street economy. For more bad news look at the results from the Associated Press analysis of employment data from 20 countries in, Can smart machines take your job? Middle class jobs increasingly being replaced by technology, which found that almost all the jobs disappearing are in industries that pay middle-class wages, ranging from $38,000 to $68,000. Jobs that form the backbone of the middle class in developed countries in Europe, North America and Asia. The article then goes on to cite that more information now crosses the Internet every second than the entire Internet stored 20 years ago. Other examples note that: Soon to come are pilotless airliners joining the several Japanese rail lines already run by themselves. Add the smart utility meter deployment and soon the employee reader, banished to a wax museum, becomes just another sign of so called progress. Missing in all this corporate excitement for slashing payroll is the indisputable fact that the general standard of living is dropping like a rock for the average family. Couple this deadly trend with the unnerving prospects forecast by Bob Lord in, Our First Trillionaire: Only a Matter of Time Technological development coupled with favorable political treatment is regularly the formula for massive accumulation of fortune. However, the horrendous social distortions that inexorably follow such distortions in income, much less the fact that the disappearance in living wage employment of the masses cannot be ignored without fundamental political upheaval. Once innovated technology of a Henry Ford raised the living standards and was a benefit for society. Todays objective is to remove or eliminate the middle class as the gap in meaningful employment widens. Added leisure time has no significance if spent playing games on an IPAD, while living off welfare government programs. Brynjolfsson and McAfees breakdown is a chilling look at a bleak future and the goodbye kiss to a populist beneficial economy. Original article archived here Related selfnews Post Articles: James Hall is a reformed, former political operative. This pundits formal instruction in History, Philosophy and Political Science served as training for activism, on the staff of several politicians and in many campaigns. A believer in authentic Public Service, independent business interests were pursued in the private sector. Speculation in markets, and international business investments, allowed for extensive travel and a world view for commerce. Hall is the publisher of BREAKING ALL THE RULES. Contact batr@batr.org 