I lived most of my life in Adelaide, and yes they did take our jobs. (it was given to them by our leaders on both sides)
I have seen a once very strong manufacturing town with a robust middle class decline in the last 35 years.
The number of businesses that have closed and gone offshore has been sickening. I have had some friends take their own lives and many fall into alcohol and drugs as a way to escape the hopelessness. As a consequence of the economic situation, I moved interstate with my family in 2013 to find work. It got to a point where I had make a bold move or lose the house.
Most Highly skilled professionals and politicians have no idea the effect globalisation and offshoring of jobs has had on the general population. If they see their own personal fortunes & shares go up in value then I guess to them nothing is wrong... "another penfolds sir?"
What made it even more frustrating for me has been witnessing the mass amount of immigration into our country all while seeing jobs going the other way - it has appeared to be a "people in - jobs out" government policy for the last 20 years. I have not believed the government figures on unemployment for a long time. Once my father hit about 50 the job agencies in Adelaide even told him to not even bother coming in as "there are no jobs". One of my good friends had to fly to India a few years ago and train people so they could take the jobs off her friends back in Adelaide, she was not happy about it at all. (it was a Bank.......)
Covid -19 has hit our economy hard, but I expected a massive correction was coming to our economy regardless. We can't continue down the road we have been travelling - house prices are way to high - unemployment is high - underemployment is rife - and the gap between the rich and poor is becoming vast just like in the United States.
We have Automation of many jobs coming at us very fast and yet the government has been importing people into our nation like we are still the industrial nation we were in the 60's. What the hell are all these people (including many Australians) going to do for work once the autonomous cars and trucks hit the road? and this is just one area of automation. Elon Musk thinks he will have self driving technology perfected by the end of the year.
My point? even tougher times are ahead for Australia, even after the pandemic. Stay safe.
(20min delay)