How we can beat the robots: We have a problem in our economy, Thomas Friedman states , because an “increasing number of job seekers face being shut out of middle-skill, middle-class occupations by employers’ rising demand for a bachelor’s degree.” In his opening paragraph, Friedman highlights the profession of a secretary as a perfect example of this current plight. He points out that only 19 percent of secretaries today have a bachelor’s degree. Yet in new job postings for secretary positions at burning-glass.com , 65 percent of these postings now call for a B.A. Friedman then concludes that the necessity of post-secondary education represents “just one of the problems contributing to unemployment and underemployment today.” Byron Auguste, who worked for President Obama cogently adds: “We can use technology to do more than automate tasks. We can use it to accelerate learning, optimize talent, and guide people into better jobs and careers.” By constantly framing technology as the killer of jobs , we are missing out on the great rewards which technology can produce. Providing accessible post-secondary education to more Americans is one such reward. Wal-Mart says staff turnover is down after hike in their minimum pay: This morning, Goldy congratulated Walmart on finally figuring out that their low-wage business model was counterproductive. As you may remember, Wal-Mart increased its minimum pay to $9 an hour, providing a raise for half a million workers and promised to hike it again to $10 an hour next year. The result? Wal-Mart’s chief executive said they have been losing fewer workers to turnover since the pay change, an admission which signaled the first time the company has reported a benefit of higher wages. How will America’s lost economic decade impact 2016? This is the question John Cassidy asks in his most recent column and he predicts that the G.O.P. will play up a feeling of malaise this campaign season. They have good reason to do so. After all, median U.S. household income in 2014 was still about six per cent below … Continue reading Daily Clips: June 10th, 2015
