Letter: Companies will decide where to locate plants, not the government

I would like to commend you for your story on why robots, not trade, are behind job losses in manufacturing in your Depth section in the Nov. 3 newspaper.

Trump and his followers keep harping about how no manufacturing exists in the U.S. anymore and that all the jobs have gone to China. This article actually presents some facts. The fact is, most job losses in manufacturing are due to increases in productivity because of robots and automation.

Manufacturing is alive and well in the country, but to work in manufacturing one needs to get technical training in machining, welding, electronics, quality control, materials science and the like. Many companies cannot find enough trained technicians. Trump cannot bring back low-skill manufacturing jobs, because with free enterprise companies will make the decisions on where to locate plants to maximize productivity — not the government.

Automation is here to stay. The best thing we can do is elect politicians who will establish programs to help current and future workers get the skills they need without going into debt.

This story was originally published November 10, 2016 at 4:32 AM with the headline "Letter: Companies will decide where to locate plants, not the government."