921 replies to this topic

[LFC]

Backing the Hanauer points on the minimum wage.

[AnBr]

http://www.businessi...-a-tesla-2016-7

[Art_Vandelay]

Massachusetts Makes Asking About Salary History a Thing of the Past

Quote

Job seekers in Massachusetts will no longer have to disclose their salary history to prospective employers in order to be considered for a job, thanks to a new pay equity law signed this week. The law, which goes into effect in July 2018, makes it illegal for employers to ask job applicants what they've earned in the past and makes Massachusetts the first state to ban the practice.


This step is a victory for job seekers, who have long been put at a disadvantage by employers who insist on knowing their past salary history. Employers commonly base salary offers on the information, which has meant that people who have been earning below-market wages are more likely to continue to be underpaid – which has historically been a particular issue for women, who are statistically likely to be paid less than their male counterparts for the same work.

I think this makes good sense. When an employer knows a candidate's current compensation, that tends to be the starting point of salary negotiations. Not knowing will force the employer to evaluate the applicants experience and perceived capabilities in relationship to their current staff. Note that the law doesn't preclude a candidate from divulging current salary information. I suspect when that person feels it is to their advantage, they will gladly offer their current compensation.

[AnBr]

Posted by Hanauer himself.

[AnBr]

What Happens When Millions of Jobs Are Lost Because of Automation?

Quote

Take, for example, the number one job held by men today -- nearly 3 million of them are truck drivers. What will happen to them in a decade when Daimler expects its self-driving 18-wheeler now being tested in the Nevada desert to be ready for the road? How about the top job among women, that of administrative assistant? Technology already has wiped away many of those positions in companies large and small.

And it’s not just popular low-skilled jobs that artificial intelligence threatens. A 2013 study from Oxford University predicts that future technology could displace nearly half of American jobs. History has shown such predictions to be wildly exaggerated, of course. In the long race between education and technology, education typically wins.

But past performance might not be indicative of future results in this next wave of automation, and even those with higher skilled jobs might not be safe. Even jobs in finance, law, and medicine don’t offer the steady career paths they once did.

[Traveler]

My brother is high up the Watson food chain at IBM. Just got promoted to run a lot of this effort there. He confirms that AI will eliminate millions of jobs. Starting with all those call centers in India (he ran SAP's product support center there in an earlier phase). But soon enough coming to a workplace near you. His first pitch to the managers was "how are you going to deal with this?".

AI would be a boon for me. All I would have to do is the big picture stuff, while it could setup the models, run them, plot them out, draft the drawings, etc. etc. A lot of that is pretty brain dead work in terms of actually having to think. But it would kill my support staff. Which is no way to bring up the next generation of designers.

[Progressive whisperer]

Interesting about the truck, and Uber testing autonomous cars. Within the past year I recall on LGM comments being assured this technology was a human generation away at minimum. By people who (claimed) to be involved.

[Progressive whisperer]

AnBr, on 18 August 2016 - 10:22 PM, said:

Posted by Hanauer himself.

I really like this guy, but he doesn't mention that many of those uprisings fail.

[Traveler]

Ah but we have Anonymous.

[Progressive whisperer]

Traveler, on 19 August 2016 - 01:06 PM, said:

Ah but we have Anonymous.

Who fell apart/got infiltrated by Putin's guys in their plan to stop Trump.

[Traveler]

Care to elaborate?

[Progressive whisperer]

Traveler, on 19 August 2016 - 01:54 PM, said:

Care to elaborate?

I'd need to find the link, but they proclaimed they were going after Trump during the primary. A news story quoted members saying the effort fell apart do to infighting, disparate groups arguing strategy and other elements of disorganization. Reading it I couldn't help wondering if this was a counter-effort by someone, and Putin has the resources and interest in Trump succeeding.

[Rich T Bikkies]

Progressive whisperer, on 19 August 2016 - 02:00 PM, said:

I'd need to find the link, but they proclaimed they were going after Trump during the primary. A news story quoted members saying the effort fell apart do to infighting, disparate groups arguing strategy and other elements of disorganization. Reading it I couldn't help wondering if this was a counter-effort by someone, and Putin has the resources and interest in Trump succeeding.

Interesting thought. But I think it was Sir Bernard Ingham (I'll look for the link) who said that if there is a choice between a cock-up theory and a conspiracy to to explain anything going pear-shaped, try the cock-up theory first. But Murrka's immunity to conspiracy is very low - by design in Republican-cum-Conservative circles - and even if you're paranoid somebody could be out to get you.

Does your news story mention any facts that particularly set you wondering? A mere hunch is sometimes justified[1].

[1]Quasimodo might have disagreed FAIK.

[Rabiner]

But as long as we can blame trade deals for people losing their jobs then it's all good.

[Art_Vandelay]

The brave new world of robots and lost jobs

Good piece by David Ignatius.

Quote

The “automation bomb” could destroy 45 percent of the work activities currently performed in the United States, representing about $2 trillion in annual wages, according to a study last year by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. We’ve seen only the beginning of this change, they warned. Currently, only 5 percent of occupations can be entirely automated, but 60 percent of occupations could soon see machines doing 30 percent or more of the work.


The McKinsey analysts sharpened their argument in a paper released last month. Their estimates, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data covering more than 800 occupations, draw a shocking picture of the future. In manufacturing, 59 percent of activities could be automated, and that includes “90 percent of what welders, cutters, solderers and brazers do.” In food service and accommodations, 73 percent of the work could be performed by machines. In retailing, 53 percent of current jobs could be lost.


White-collar workers may imagine that they’re safe, but that’s wishful thinking. If computers can be programmed to understand speech as well as humans do, 66 percent of jobs in finance and insurance could be replaced, the most recent report says.

[Traveler]

Pretty much exactly what my brother said.

[Practical Girl]

AnBr, on 12 August 2016 - 10:02 PM, said:

http://www.businessi...-a-tesla-2016-7

Lost in all of this is that Dan Price was raised an Evangelical Christian, homeschooled until 12 and went to a Christian-focused college. His parents- especially his father- really lived the faith that most only mouth. Although he doesn't talk overtly about his faith, "moral imperative" was one of his bottom line reasons for ditching his own wealth to help those in his employ do better. And that was learned at home. Exemplary behavior based on real values, and what 99% of the so-called Christians out there only mouth.

And hey- he's attracted some incredible talent, along the way. A few stories (at least) out there about people quitting high-paying jobs to become part of the "Dan Price Experiment". I'm glad to hear that he's finally shed his brother's lawsuits. Brother's company (last I heard) is a competitor. Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to see the two bury the hatchet and own their industry, together.

[LFC]

Art_Vandelay, on 20 August 2016 - 06:48 AM, said:

The brave new world of robots and lost jobs

Good piece by David Ignatius.

Quote

White-collar workers may imagine that they’re safe, but that’s wishful thinking. If computers can be programmed to understand speech as well as humans do, 66 percent of jobs in finance and insurance could be replaced, the most recent report says.

I work in the area of financial planning software and one of the biggest fears for traditional advisers are the software driven "robo advisers" that are coming out all over the place. High net worth folks still need actual advisers to navigate through the myriad of tax saving techniques, but that represents just a slice of the financial planning market. A lot of lower level advisers could be put out of work.

[gmat]

Is any country doing GMI yet? I mean unconditional GMI, decoupled from work, assets, etc? You would have to combine that with strict immigration law enforcement I think.

It makes more sense to me than minimum wage laws.

[Practical Girl]

Portugal? If I recall, they've been doing something like it since the late 90s-early 2000s. Sorry- no time to check for links. Check for me?