When Economists Put Numbers on Job Loss, the Debate Stopped Being Abstract

The shift from ambient dread to specific grievance happened when economists produced figures specific enough to be personalized. Abstract claims about automation's long-term effects circulate and fade; a percentage attached to a job category lands differently. The represent the point at which forecasting became concrete enough to act on — not for economists, but for workers and their unions. The ProPublica workforce did not vote to authorize a strike over a theoretical future; they voted over a…