Problems in Supermarkets in Germany

[kiplette]

Technology replacing workers that are then left without work is an economic myth that died very long time ago.

The 'myth' is that long term, there are fewer jobs available because the machines took them. That is, agreed, not true on a historical economic scale.

Unfortunately, vast swathes of people are however left unemployed after huge shifts because people-jobs-geography-ability and the many other factors involved are not a free flowing system. The advent of mills had a catastrophic effect on the household income of those thousands involved in home-based hand spinning for 50 years. Historically we can say that in the end, the job market just shifts, but that doesn't change the disaster which happened to those actual people.

Like it or not, regardless of opinion, when these changes happen, although new jobs are created and are available, they are not necessarily available to the same people who lost their jobs at the time they need them. So in the short term and in specific geographical areas or groups, people are absolutely left without work.

[Alberto]

Technology replacing workers that are then left without work is an economic myth that died very long time ago.

The 'myth' is that long term, there are fewer jobs available because the machines took them. That is, agreed, not true on a historical economic scale.

Unfortunately, vast swathes of people are however left unemployed after huge shifts because people-jobs-geography-ability and the many other factors involved are not a free flowing system. The advent of mills had a catastrophic effect on the household income of those thousands involved in home-based hand spinning for 50 years. Historically we can say that in the end, the job market just shifts, but that doesn't change the disaster which happened to those actual people.

Like it or not, regardless of opinion, when these changes happen, although new jobs are created and are available, they are not necessarily available to the same people who lost their jobs at the time they need them. So in the short term and in specific geographical areas or groups, people are absolutely left without work.

But even if this is true, what's the answer? Rejecting technology because otherwise it causes dirsuption in the distribution of work that people cannot cope with?
By the way I guess you too have dishwasher car computer and everything else...

[kiplette]

I don't think that rejecting technology is either an option or a better choice, but I suppose having understanding for people in difficulty is one thing we can do, not belittling their predicament and actively supporting them - which we do I guess through taxation here in Germany.

We do indeed have most of the usual labour saving devices - they do a good job of reducing domestic labour which would otherwise have been done by me, thus freeing me up to daddle away my time on here
Affording a maid or cook was long gone by the time my parents were born, let alone me. In the UK that is. When they were posted to Cyprus, they had a maid, and when my sister worked in Kuwait she had one. Much against her principles, but it was pointed out that if she didn't continue to hire the maid, she'd lose her income.

[snowingagain]

Drifting away from thread name, but I lived in Arab place for a bit, no maid (sorry). But eye opening the way some EU etc people treated the domestic staff. All hired from India/Indonesia etc and had to pay a lot to get there so in debt for years. The gate boys were nice, polite, did their jobs. The only reason I went to the compound meetings was to vote down the new rules requiring more work and improvement in their appearance. One pushy woman memorably demanded guy clean the huge mainly glass clubhouse with Windolene. It was 45 degrees, and he did not know better. You can imagine the outcome. People get power-mad surprisingly fast.

[Fraufruit]

Similar experience in Singapore many years ago. When we were looking at flats, the realtor showed me where my maid could sleep on the top shelf in the pantry in a couple of the places. I was shocked. We got a place where she had her own private room and bath. I treated her like a friend and she was. I took her to my hairdresser, doctor, etc. and paid all of her food. I was disgusted at how I saw other Western women treating their maids like slaves. BTW, we are still in contact 36 years later and I still send her a little something a couple of times a year.