The effects on the amount of labor needed in industrial operations are our main focus in this research.
However, it is necessary to look into the other.
Other effects of mechanization, in addition to their general industrial and societal importance, are significant variables in deciding the speed with which mechanized processes are implemented. To take one example, if spray-gun painting is thought to be hazardous to workers, it necessitates the purchase of safety equipment and may result in governmental or union action to restrict its use.
Its use is promoted to the degree that it is thought to save material or result in a superior job of painting.
The main issues addressed in this chapter in analyzing the impact of labor-saving changes on the quantity of labor needed are: I What are the usual crew reductions resulting from different devices.
referred to in earlier chapters? (2) Can the total laborsaving effect of some be estimated, either for the aggregate number of total installations already made, or for the potential total effect if more or less fully implemented in the area of work for which they are adapted? What can we learn by summarizing the labor-saving adjustments that factory leaders have communicated to us? Do these findings imply that the typical shift impacts a large or small number of men? Is there usually a significant difference in laborsaving benefits when we assess only real crew reductions or when we account for any rise in total crew output? (4) Turning to more complete job and occupation data, what estimates have been made of the overall impact of all types of technological advances inreferred to in earlier chapters? (2) Can the total laborsaving effect of some be estimated, either for the aggregate number of total installations already made, or for the potential total effect if more or less fully implemented in the area of work for which they are adapted? What projections, in other words, of how much of the overall change in employment can be attributed to productivity gains, whatever the source, and how much to changes in total amount of production in the twenties? (5) Turning to the more human side of the issue, is there reason to think that the increased use of machines not only lowers the amount of labor needed for a given volume of output, but also results in at least temporary layoff of workersWhat evidence upon this question of technological unemployment is afforded by the several studiesthat have been made of employment histories of individualworkers