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Opinion
At times it’s not obvious
why job numbers decrease
April 14, 2004
There’s been a lot of talk, criticism mostly, about the number of jobs that have been lost for South Carolinians in recent history. Critics aren’t happy over those lost jobs, and who can blame them?
It’s true that many of those jobs have now been filled by people in other countries who work for very low pay. There is enough evidence to prove that. There is, however, another factor, and one noted recently by a Greenwood businessman. It’s one you don’t hear about very often.
He referred to a recent announcement that Duke Power meter readers will soon be able to use a hand-held device to do the reading without having to walk to every meter, as is now the case. They will also be able to do it many times faster, too.
THAT’S IT, PURE and simple: technology. By using these meter-reading devices, the job can be done not only quicker, but by fewer people. The results from that should be obvious.
Now, multiply the numbers of lost jobs by the increase in technology and efficiency in a lot of areas, and the picture becomes quite clear: Dwindling job numbers are not dwindling simply because of jobs being shipped overseas.
Whether technology or something else, job numbers are affected by things we don’t always think about. Sometimes, it’s just hard to see all those things when there’s something around easier to fault.
One bright part about it all, though, is that it reflects improved productivity. However, that is and cannot be a pacifying occurrence for those who are unemployed.
Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
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