2015 has been a banner year for mass layoffs as the Fed gets ready to hike rates to slow down the global economic boom. There is so much demand for waiters, bartenders, and part time workers that we are lucky large corporations are grudgingly freeing up so much labor. Let's take a quick tally for this year, so far:
HP: 55,000
Oil field services: 51,000
Barclay's: 30,000 by 2017
Caterpillar: 10,000 jobs by 2018
Microsoft: 7,800
JP Morgan: 5,000
My only concern is that the layoffs will not come fast enough with the pain spread out until 2018. We need MORE BARISTAS NOW, damnit! Right now, someone is standing in line at Starbucks longer than they should, probably making them late to a big layoff meeting.
What was true in the past is still true today.
ReplyDeleteIn the past, making partner in a firm was a sign of prosperity. It took a lot of work and a lot of hours. Very prestigious!
Today, making partner at Starbucks is also a sign of prosperity. It takes far less work. Since every employee is a partner, all you need to do is fog a mirror. See how far we've come?
So, yeah. The key to prosperity is definitely more baristas! Should hold us nicely until the Great Barista Automation Insurrection hits, which by my calculations should occur just before Skynet activates. D'oh! ;)
Stagflationary Mark,
DeleteTarget is looking into replacing retail workers with robots within a few years. I know McDonalds has been trying but with poor results so far.