Bring back the jobs?
 

Seriously though (attached graphic), why do we want low paying and now largely automated manufacturing jobs when we do services so well and have a surplus in that respect with nearly every nation? China owns cheap manufacturing now - we need to get over it.

The services industry includes Banking/finance, High Tech, Accounting, Tourism, etc. Isn't that what young people want?

agree....can you imagine Americans sewing blue jeans in a factory for very small wages? We want to encourage young people to STEM careers. People forget...the robots are coming. Do we want the USA to go back to the 1800's with factories? No, we want to be supreme in technology and all STEM areas.

We need manufacturing for a trade balance. That does not mean we need to manufacture socks. We only need to make stuff that other countries would want to buy. Services can be part of the balance, but we need manufacturing for national security interests.

The funny thing about 'service industries,' is their income was not included in the rather 'one size fits all' tariff formula, when putting US exports against imports from other countries.
Probably just a bonus for having to collect all the trillions flowing into the government pocket.

Fail realize those jobs won’t be at pay scale in China, India, or any other 3rd world slave labor. When Average UAW here makes 70 plus dollars hour compared to at best 5.25 hour in Mexico and elsewhere.

Not everybody can be brain surgeons. There at least 100 million Americans that have swept under carpet got fat and too lazy to work when government gives them just enough to survive. A low paying job better than NO job. The problem is people who make decisions really never had to work or was ever hungry, and I don’t mean missing meal or two.

Another problem college education don’t really get you much anymore hundred thousands of college graduates working in the so called services industry waiting on tables at least few that will work? Course there will never be flat tax the would put accounting lawyer out of work cause one’s making the tax laws are NOT going to shoot themselves in foot and have to pay their fair share.

Then there one that get degree in running their mouth, political science.

Due to outrageous fraud and wasteful spending the federal government NEEDS trillions or we WILL be 3rd world. IMO it’s too late, the only way we’re going to get out of debt is send payment with nuke attach. IMO world war coming

Your upbeat message leaves me scratching my head... so often I hear now how this country CAN'T do anything anymore. Bullroar, all we need is some backbone and ambition.

No one takes into account the handouts that it takes to float the boat of all the jobless people here not to mention the crime involved with much of that joblessness. Take the whole picture into one's view and remember, no one is trying to eliminate everything, just balance it out. And as important as STEM is, it is not the end all answer to all employment problems. Not everyone wants to be a rocket scientist.

Totally agree with this. Our country drastically needs employees who work with their hands and brains. With all the new infrastructure going up the next few years in the USA. We will need construction, welders, plumbers, electricians etc etc. all trades. Mucho dinero pay jobs. And high tech manufacturing. Not just socks.., I understand that the new schools here are focusing on trades too. Wonderful.

The top 10 "quality of living" countries mostly have manufacturing as a low percentage of their workforce. We need to look for new solutions, not try old ones that have failed for good reason.

True. And not everyone has the brains to be one. The point is we need more students studying useful curriculums that will lead to innovation and jobs, and less studying obscure social degrees that didn't exist 50 years ago because they aren't real.

Obscure degrees that didn't exist 50 years ago? Could it be that science and technology and social awareness subjects and needs didn't exist until recently? Like, for instance, what the heck is an "aesthetician" and when did it become a thing. (Brace yourselves) Never had those things back in my day?

Many High Paying Union Jobs
 

Many jobs will be high paying. Ask the automakers in Michigan, the steelworkers in Ohio and Pennsylvania or various other high middle class workers.

Where are going find this backbone and ambitions? Most expect it to be handed to them…:beer3:

Umm, no. Tell me what productive job requires "social awareness subjects and needs". People going $200,000 into hock for degrees that don't get them jobs is why student debt is out of control. Colleges shouldn't even be offering that garbage IMO.

I'm not talking about "science and technology" as I specifically referenced "social" degrees. But hey, if you want to fund your kid's degree in international gender studies or the like, I guess YMMV.

I find it strange that in this thread, no one has even mentioned a need for more people in the medical field, and in health care in general. You want more Americans to be home health aids for seniors who aren't ready for nursing homes yet? Maybe - give more Americans more incentive to qualify as home health aids. Right now, most of them in Florida are immigrants, because they can't FIND Americans who want to do the work.

We have a nursing shortage in Florida. We also have a physician shortage. And an orthopedic surgery shortage. The people who can afford the education necessary to get degrees, don't seem to be interested in those degrees. So we have to seek these professionals from other places. A doctor from Pakistan will be just as qualified to diagnose your hernia as a doctor from Toledo Ohio. If Toledo doesn't want to come to the party, then you need to suck it up, and learn to love the guy from Pakistan. The first step is to stop this "mass deportation" stuff and denaturalizing and cancelling green cards stuff. If they're here LEGALLY and haven't broken any laws while here, then leave them the heck alone and let them continue contributing to society and paying their taxes (yes, immigrants pay taxes).

Don't forget also, medical professionals from other countries pay MUCH less for their medical education than we do here in the States. So they can afford to work for less, when they get here. They have lower payments to pay off any loans, and some of them earn their degrees for free, courtesy of their country of origin.

In Pakistan (using the same country as above for the example) a local student can easily pay less than $5,000 per year in tuition. They have to fund their own housing, living expenses, elective fees but if they live nearby at home, the additional cost is negligible.

Although I hope you are wrong about the war part I do agree with your thinking about national debt. I don’t believe it can mathematically be repaid, we can’t even balance the budget for one year. We as a people are addicted to our grandchildren’s credit card and the US money printing machine. We are not screwed but surely have set up future generations to take our long over due bitter medicine for us. Americans have been led to believe there is such a thing as “something for nothing”, it is now the great American dream.

Of course the OP shows worst case scenario. All the jobs that are coming into the united states are based on AI, car manufacturing, and electric grid enhancements to power the new AI server farms. I can tell you, these people will easily make over 6 digit wages.
The new generation of kids don’t want to work, they want everything given to them like they are entitled. This generation is setting new records for living with their parents until they are in their late 30’s. The government should stop all payments to everybody that can work.

It seems that everyone is an economist now.

Economists now.

Why should Thailand, or any other country be penalized for making goods for American companies?
Corporate America are the ones who took industry away from the American workers in pursuit of higher profits. Let them pick up the tab for the import tariffs.

These employment paths are not mutually exclusive, but synergistic. There are millions of employees that really can only perform by rote. Our society has devolved to shaming actual labor.

So you think Americans are fine with paying $45 for a doll vs $19, because labor costs are so high in the US? If US manufacturers moved back they would go bankrupt because Americans would scale back. They can’t afford the higher prices. Plus the US manufacturers in the US would no longer be able to compete globally because the doll costs too much. They have to stay in China to compete globally. They can still sell their $19 dolls to 100+ countries. They can’t with a $45 doll.

There has been a trade deficit for 50 years now. In that time the USA economy has grown 350%. Check the facts if you don't believe me. Listen to the Nobel economic laureates instead of what comes out of DC.

Disagree completely, many foreign auto manufacturers have found a way to be competitive building cars and trucks in the USA. Subaru in Lafeyette IN, Toyota has 10 automotive plants in the USA, Honda in Marysville OH and there are more.
Other foreign manufacturers that do not have a US manufacturing presence but want to sell here need to also build here.

The USA manufacturers that have moved plants and jobs to Mexico and SE Asia need to be reeled in.

And for the folks that say manufacturing today in all done by robots,, someone needs to design that manufacturing system, someone needs to design and build the robots, someone needs to service and maintain the manufacturing system and the robots, someone needs to design and build the facility that holds the manufacturing system and the robots, someone needs so plan and organize the production of the manufacturing system someone need to schedule the shipping and logistics for the product that is produced, and on and on. These are all jobs that should be here in the USA. Manufacturing sites also increase the local tax base providing money for infrastructure and schools.
Be American-Buy American.

Many Facilities
 

We have many shuttered facilities for auto manufacturing that could be reopened within weeks too. I say bring those incomes back from Canada and Mexico. Let’s pay Americans to do those jobs first.

Steel plants could fire up production within the month.
US Steel will cut jobs, close plants, move HQ from Pittsburgh if Nippon sale fails, CEO warns

Or have a lot of common sense!:wave:

And how has the USA debt grown in that same space?

With a slight of hand, businesses figured out how to put a large portion of the debit side of their ledgers on the backs of US citizens and then convinced us we were getting a great deal with cheaper foreign products. Few noticed how the jobless affected our budgets at home with the jobs shipped overseas. As we pay out of our pockets for all the programs that support the loss of employment, subsidized housing/rent, Medicaid, food stamps, health insurance and all the social programs for the jobless not to mention the lack of dignity and loss of self esteem for those affected. We also lost the very important ability to care for ourselves in the event of world disagreements or worse. Yeah, we sure came out ahead, ahem.

Pakistan (using the same country as above for the example) a local student can easily pay less than $5,000 per year in tuition. They have to fund their own housing, living expenses, elective fees but if they live nearby at home, the additional cost is negligible.

You mean they not getting student loans for apartments, vehicles, vacations, and spring breaks in Cancun or Miami Beach? They haven’t been Americanized yet have they?

So a piece of paper makes them experts. Kinda like political science degree, getting paid to run your mouth as long as someone willing to listen.

So easy to say. Not so easy to do. Much has changed.

They do .... then add it to the price. If they didn't, there would be no profit. No profit, no imported goods That is why tariffs hurt consumers.

The effect of tariffs on tourism has largely been overlooked. 35 million foreigners visited the USA last year. Most of the World currently views the USA unfavorably so it will be interesting to see the drop in overseas tourist numbers. There are plenty of "friendly" countries to visit instead.

Come on, that was WAY too easy. Subaru is assembled in Indiana - from parts made in Japan. This is like - not news. At all. Indiana is an ASSEMBLY plant, not a MANUFACTURING plant.

There is very little "made in the USA" that is 100% "made in the USA." In most cases - parts, ingredients, components, are made in other countries.

No, Pakistani culture values high work ethics and education. Something you don't see as much of here in the states.

Not all young people have the math skills to be accountants. or high tech. But, they could do maintenance jobs (with some training) on robotic and AI manufacturing factories. That way we would be paying our own PATRIOTIC citizens while NOT paying China, which we are in competition with militarily. When we buy Chinese made goods we are also paying for their air force and space force operations. Also, the skills that US young adults learn in a US factory maintenance company could be transferred to the US Military in the case of a WAR. If we made an effort as a Country to emphasize SOME non-College jobs, we could strengthen the vanishing middle class and TRULY make America STRONGER. It would help, also, if we changed the tax brackets to help the middle class re-GROW itself.

Ideally, the jeans would be made on a ROBOTIC assembly line.

One problem is that rocket scientists do NOT make as much money as Wall Street types. That's why not enough are going into STEM careers.

Those are both very hard jobs to get.

We do need more bureaucrats though. Intelligent compassionate and well organized ones. For instance, there are a some computers that now may have troubles working because of some of the recent job cuts. Especially those written in older computer codes.

Actually, I just looked that up and Germany is in the top ten for manufacturing and the other nations have high manufacturing also. If we are looking to change to more like those top ten "quality of life" counties, they all have National Health Care.