this image contradicts everything I've maybe ever heard about "American manufacturing"'s decline. Not saying the image is wrong, it's just impressive how much one segment of industry has been politicized.
It's important to note that the number of manufacturing jobs has fallen significantly. Manufacturing has gotten way more efficient since the 40s, so a lot fewer people are necessary.
That's why it's so politicized. Manufacturing is about 12% of GDP. That 12% used to go to a lot of people. Now it goes to the few people who own all the factories and the robots inside them.
> Manufacturing has gotten way more efficient since the 40s,
It's both yes or no for USA:
1. Fever businesses at all in the sector
2. USA has an extremely strong slant towards expensive capital goods, in very entrenchable industries: aerospace, defence, weapons, medical, industrial vehicles, and machinery
3. All of the above is increasingly made with imported, off the shelf parts
4. USA has "industrial" companies who manage to report giant manufacturing outputs in accounting statements, but known to not have a single running manufacturing plant.
The US decided to get rid of all manufacturing that employed lots of people, so politically they would destroy the power of unions. Unlike other countries, American politicians have no shame about it.
Also US companies were just cutting costs- de-powering unions was a happy bonus. Technology allowed it (transportation, communications and cheap energy). But also the government allowed it, because it's all controlled by corporations.
I imagine a lot of it is due to automation - there are in fact less assembly line jobs than there were in the 40s but economically the sector has continued to grow.
Automation in the industry is a big lie, the degree of it since post-WW2 days (when most of modern mass production methods were perfected) is greatly overstated.
It is mostly due to outsourcing the labor-intensive parts to cheaper labor markets.
The hypothetical robots are people working elsewhere.
