Not so mysterious, I think. This is not a cyclical question, but a product of the
transformation of the industry. Deunionization and deskilling should lead to both
lower productivity and more human misery.
Peter
Doug Henwood wrote:
> Peter Dorman wrote:
>
> >A radical change is taking place in construction. You may remember (or think
> >you remember) it as an exclusive, aristocracy-of-labor operation, staffed by
> >unionized ethnics out to beat up blacks and hippies. Today it is largely
> >nonunion, poorly trained (the breakdown of the apprenticeship system),
> >increasingly nonwhite, often abysmally paid, and therefore more dangerous.
>
> Hmm, here productivity trends run against the morbidity/mortality
> trend. Productivity in construction is in a mysterious decline.
>
> Doug
