Job Polarization

The polarization of jobs began as far back as the 1950s as the market of this time was saturated by the service sector. Job growth was strong in this era but the creating of jobs was either at the top of the pay scale, or at the bottom. This caused a wage gap that technology further emphasized (Barany & Siegel, 2015, p. 57). David Autor says, computer technologies are changing the strain of jobs available, and those changes “are not always for the good.” Autor goes on to say that computers have increasingly taken over repetitive jobs such as bookkeeping, clerical work, and jobs in manufacturing. Most of which usually provided middle-class pay. At the same time, higher-paying jobs requiring cleverness and problem-solving skills, often aided by technology, have expanded. The same rings true for low-skill jobs, demand has increased for food service workers, janitors, home health aides, and others doing service work that is nearly impossible to automate. Autor believes this has resulted in a “polarization” of the workforce and a “hollowing out” of the middle class but that it is something that has been happening in numerous industrialized countries for the last several decades (Rotman, 2013, para. 12). Author Martin Ford speaks of economist David Autor of MIT, saying Autor has done thorough analysis showing that the market in the U.S. has become polarized for workers. A large amount of moderate wage, routine jobs in areas like manufacturing have been destroyed by technology, leaving the remaining employment opportunities clustered at the top, in which one would need a higher education for (college) and at the bottom which requires little education and training (Ford, 2013, p. 2).

I have included a supplementary video of the previously mentioned David Autor of MIT discussing his outlook on automation, jobs, and society.