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72. The following appeared as part of an editorial in a campus newspaper. With an increasing demand for highly skilled workers, this nation will soon face a serious labor shortage. New positions in technical and professional occupations are increasing rapidly, while at the same time the total labor force is growing slowly. Moreover, the government is proposing to cut funds for aid to education in the near future. Discuss how well reasoned... etc. In this argument the author predicts a nationwide labor shortage in the near future. The basis for this prediction is an increasing demand for highly skilled workers, especially in technical and professional fields, coupled with a slow-growing labor force and a government proposal to cut funds for aid to education. At first glance, the authors argument appears to be somewhat convincing: but further reflection reveals that it is based on some dubious assumptions. In the first place the author assumes that the present labor force is immobile and that the demand for highly skilled workers will have to be met by workers who are entering the labor market for the first time. Recent American history, however, shows that this assumption is entirely unfounded. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution most Americans were farm workers, but by the end of that revolution most had become factory workers. Thus, even though the labor pool remained relatively constant during this period, the number of farm workers decreased and the number of factory workers increased. This example clearly demonstrates the mobility of the labor force. | 
