# Does Mechanisation and automation actually reduce the number of labourers overall? **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mechanisation-and-automation-actually-reduce-the-number-of-labourers-overall/969606 **Category:** In My Humble Opinion **Created:** [August 13, 2022, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mechanisation-and-automation-actually-reduce-the-number-of-labourers-overall/969606 "2022-08-13T16:08:06Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 12
### Author: ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid) #### Post date: [August 13, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mechanisation-and-automation-actually-reduce-the-number-of-labourers-overall/969606/12 "2022-08-13T19:34:48Z")
One of the previous threads on this - > [@Does government and society in general need to be concerned about the loss of jobs to automation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-government-and-society-in-general-need-to-be-concerned-about-the-loss-of-jobs-to-automation/717402): > > I haven’t seen any discussions in the news about what happens when automation deletes too many jobs. I’ve seen first hand many jobs disappear. The grocery stores eliminated some checkers and baggers with scan it yourself. Garbage trucks used to have a 3 man crew each. One driver and 2 guys emptying the cans into the truck. One guy driving the truck today empties the cans with a special device. The list of lost jobs goes on and on. Especially in the factories. Even in my own tech field as a … Short version: studies looking over history have been done and to date technological advance have not resulted in less employment. Higher productivity yes and new jobs that result from that higher productivity. Not necessarily jobs making or servicing the machine but that occurred because of how much more was being produced for less. [The cotton gin example](https://historyincharts.com/the-impact-of-the-cotton-gin-on-slavery/) was given. In that case the “jobs” were mostly filled by slaves. The gin reduced the number of slaves needed to process the cotton once picked. It did not take too many to build or service the machines. Result was cheap cotton which drove massive increases in demand which required more slaves to grow and pick the cotton that was now in higher demand. Jobs also created in the north by the availability of cheap cotton allowing for products using cotton to be cheaper … Historically labor needs have not decreased as a result of automation and mechanization, from the first needle used to sew hides together, to the plow, on. Is this time different? No one can know. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-mechanisation-and-automation-actually-reduce-the-number-of-labourers-overall/969606)._