Trends_In_Consumption

Trends In Consumption In the not too distant past a response to the question "Where do you work'" would usually have included the phrase "Where I've worked for 40 years." Today, Americans change jobs more frequently and the number of people working "at home" is on the rise. These shifts, and their causes, have implications for our society far beyond where we work. The focus has turned to the major employment shifts of the last quarter-century. Five million fewer Americans are employed in manufacturing jobs than 25 years ago, three million fewer than at the last cyclical peak in August 1998. However, in another respect this trend has been ongoing for some time. As a percentage of total jobs, manufacturing employment has been in decline for decades. Technological advance is largely responsible for the relative decline of manufacturing jobs, although other factors are also at play. Despite fewer manufacturing jobs, America produces more manufactured goods now than ever, but its production is proportionally lower relative to its total consumption. We produce more with fewer workers due to technological improvement. This increased efficiency means consumers pay less. Recognizing this market-driven pricing signal is vital to understanding the changing jobs environment. Prices determine where we direct jobs, healthcare, services, manufacturing, americans, prices, million, food, years, now, because, ago, total, products, past, net, less, group, goods, fewer, business, while, today, technological, spent, spending, same, rise, professional, over, just, increased, increase, income, however, growth