They Make Jobs, Not Widgets

摘要

The war between the tangible and intangible sectors of the U.S. economy is over, and intangibles have won. Since the economy went into recessionrnin December 2007, the industries producing or distributing physical goods-such as construction, manufacturing, retail trade, and transportation-have lost 1.8 million jobs. That includes a decline of 260,000 positions in the much beleaguered auto industry and its dealer network.rnMeanwhile, the intangible sector, including such industries as education and health care, has received far less attention than autos and housing. Nevertheless, intangible-producing industries have gained about 500,000 jobs since the recession began.