re: How Free Trade Took Down the American Middle Class

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There is a huge demand for skilled labor in this country.


Like what, exactly?

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Like what, exactly?

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To understand the scope of the problem and identify potential countermeasures, we looked at several critical skilled roles, including welders, construction laborers, electricians, and other skill categories that are vulnerable to increased churn (see sidebar, “Our methodology”). For these roles, we found that from 2022 to 2032, annual hiring is expected to be more than 20 times the projected annual increase in net new jobs (Exhibit 1). This extraordinary rate of churn could cost companies more than $5.3 billion every year in talent acquisition and training costs alone.2 The additional lost productivity as new talent is brought up to speed could amount to significantly more.

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The aging of the United States is becoming increasingly evident: between 1984 and 2027, the ratio of post-working-age individuals to working-age individuals is projected to rise by about 75 percent, from 2:10 to 3.5:10.3 In some sectors, the impact is already acute.4 Since the pandemic, labor force participation rates for people 55 and older have declined by about 2 percent, while for 16- to 24-year-olds, both participation rates and employment population ratios remain below pre-COVID-19 levels.5

Moreover, Gen Z workers report persistent cultural barriers to vocational training. Despite a recent 3 percent rebound in vocational enrollment (up from 2018 levels),6 a survey of 1,000 US-based 18- to 20-year-olds found that 74 percent perceive a stigma associated with choosing vocational school over a traditional four-year university. An overwhelming 79 percent of respondents said their parents wanted them to pursue a college education after high school, while only 5 percent said the same about vocational school.7

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Even as worker numbers fall, demand in US industry is projected to remain high due to infrastructure needs, a surge in real estate redevelopment, and the energy transition. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s (BIL’s) spending levels and subsequent workforce needs are slated to peak around 2027–28, when new BIL construction expenditure could expand job market supply by 345,000 jobs, spanning sectors across the value chain. Construction and manufacturing, specifically, may experience strong competition for entry-level skilled-trades talent.

Simultaneously, the repurposing of commercial real estate in response to hybrid work could also increase demand for construction trade workers. In a moderate scenario, we found that in the median city we studied, demand for office space in 2030 could be 13 percent lower than it was in 2019. That figure would translate into a reduction in value of 26 percent in our moderate scenario and up to 42 percent in our severe scenario.

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Of course he doesn't. He's a country club RINO type.

He's also the same guy who went on anti depressants because of Trump and was willing to blow Marco Rubio so Trump wouldn't be the nominee in 2016

HHTM will never redeem herself for what she did.

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Because I am not a Marxist

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We traded a vibrant middle class

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We still have one

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with a paycheck that buys a big house, two shiny cars in the driveway, and a summer trip to the beach.

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Yep. You’re in it along with people you despise (welders, pipe fitters, plant baws).

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One of McKinsey’s state-owned clients has even helped build China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea, a major point of military tension with the United States.

It turns out that McKinsey’s role in China is just one example of its extensive — and sometimes contentious — work around the world..

At a time when democracies and their basic values are increasingly under attack, the iconic American company has helped raise the stature of authoritarian and corrupt governments across the globe, sometimes in ways that counter American interests.

Inside Russia itself, McKinsey has worked with Kremlin-linked companies that have been placed under sanctions by Western governments — companies that the firm helped build up over the years and, in some cases, continues to advise.

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