On Productivity, Diversification And Engineering - Or Why Engineering Jobs Might Be Endangered By Machines

Many economists seem to believe that productivity increases come from the automation of jobs "in the middle", which has led to both a higher demand for low and high skilled labor. For example, David H. Autor and David Dorn recently wrote an article in the NYT, which is based on that believe. They argue that people performing "abstract tasks that require problem-solving, intuition, persuasion and creativity", working in professions like "law, medicine, science, engineering, advertising and design" "benefit from computers". Let me focus on engineering and design and show that these assumptions do not show the whole picture. Also, I will focus on only one industry: automotive