"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Productivity isn't just up...it's waaaaaaaaaay up. It really can't go up
anymore...which means even the the pessimists will be needing to hire
additional people soon.

Productivity has gone up while employment has declined. Why would further
increases in productivity necessarily require corresponding increases in
employment?


Because in order to continue growing, a company must then invest in *either*
labor or capital (ie--automate their processes). If they invest in capital,
someone has to make that automated machinery...and there is an increase in
employment at the supplier's end.


We're not producing more stuff -as much as we are producing a little less
stuff
with a whole lot less people. That goes down as a productivity "gain"
based on
efficiency, but doesn't do much to increase the base of overall wealth.