←back to thread

AI adoption linked to 13% decline in jobs for young U.S. workers: study

(www.cnbc.com)
440 points pseudolus | 5 comments | 28 Aug 25 14:13 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
Show context
muldvarp ◴[28 Aug 25 14:37 UTC] No.45052736[source]▶
Brutal that software engineering went from one of the least automatable jobs to a job that is universally agreed to be "most exposed to automation".

Was good while it lasted though.

replies(15): >>45052803 #>>45052830 #>>45052911 #>>45052938 #>>45053022 #>>45053037 #>>45056787 #>>45056886 #>>45057129 #>>45057182 #>>45057448 #>>45057657 #>>45057837 #>>45058585 #>>45063626 #
AndrewKemendo ◴[28 Aug 25 14:44 UTC] No.45052830[source]▶
Too bad engineers were “too important” to unionize because their/our labor is “too special .”

I think you could find 10,000 quotes from HN alone why SDEs were immune to labor market struggles that would need a union

Oh well, good luck everyone.

replies(11): >>45052845 #>>45052888 #>>45052908 #>>45052955 #>>45052957 #>>45053693 #>>45057279 #>>45057533 #>>45057697 #>>45057699 #>>45058602 #
orochimaaru ◴[28 Aug 25 14:50 UTC] No.45052908[source]▶
Unions won’t solve this for you. If a company just decides they have enough automation to reduce union workforce it can happen the next time contracts get negotiated.

Either way, there are layoff provisions with union agreements.

replies(2): >>45052979 #>>45053015 #
1. jszymborski ◴[28 Aug 25 14:57 UTC] No.45053015[source]▶
Tell that to dock workers, who have successfully delayed the automation of ports to the extent we see them automated in e.g. the PRC [0].

Hell, they're even (successfully) pushing back against automated gates! [1]

[0] https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/02/business/dock-workers-strike-...

[1] https://www.npr.org/2024/10/03/nx-s1-5135597/striking-dockwo...

replies(3): >>45053114 #>>45053142 #>>45058573 #
2. MangoCoffee ◴[28 Aug 25 15:05 UTC] No.45053114[source]▶
Isn't that just delaying the inevitable? Yangshan Deep-Water Port in Shanghai is one of the most automated ports. Considering there are more people in China than in the US, China still automated their port.
replies(1): >>45053582 #
3. ◴[28 Aug 25 15:07 UTC] No.45053142[source]▶
4. jszymborski ◴[28 Aug 25 15:40 UTC] No.45053582[source]▶
I'm not making a value judgment on the specific case of dock workers, I'm rather saying that unions can and do prevent automation. If Software Devs had unionized earlier, a lot of positions would probably still be around.
5. Seattle3503 ◴[29 Aug 25 00:25 UTC] No.45058573[source]▶
The dock owner may not have a lot of alternatives to negotiating with the union. If devs unionize, the work can move.