End of an era
Page 49
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
It's all very well taking money from people to train them for their WV licence, but has anyone told them how difficult it is to get a job afterwards?
We are coming towards the end of the industrial age and we can no longer expect more than a minority of the workforce to be offered readymade jobs. Job losses will continue to outweigh the creation of new jobs.
In the big industrial sector costs must be competitive with other countries, such as Western Europe and North America, but also the Far East where labour costs are still very low. This means we have to use the most efficient and advanced technologies including automation to compete—and that means shedding jobs. We have to face the fact that full employment will probably not be restored.
Work will be redefined, and will include many varieties of useful and valued activities: part-time work will be common.
People are desperate for jobs, industry is changing and we have to come to terms with it. The haulage industry will suffer its share of job losses, and the supply of LGV drivers is reaching saturation point. Anyone contemplating spending their redundancy money on lessons would be well advised to think very carefully.
The reality is that you may not fmd a job for a year or more, and the longer it takes, your chances will lessen with each passing month.
Bona Richards Burton upon Trent,Staffs