How to save good jobs – The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2017/02/10/how-to-save-good-jobs/?utm_term=.a4ef049f4b34

Saw this in the Washington Post today as I curled up with my Sunday paper. (As part of my activism around supporting journalism, I took out a subscription. Beyond catching articles I would likely have never seen online, I also discovered the glories of the coupons circulars).

It did not occur to me before, despite being an MBA, that current accounting principles and tax code impedes companies from doing more to hire and train a solid workforce. This may be because I was focused on Business Administration in my MBA, rather than Accounting, so I read nothing but praise for workforce professional development and training. But I never thought about how accounting principles could stack the deck against companies who wish to make that kind of investment. 

I have always believed in training for employees, both the kind that helps them do better in their immediate position and the kind that helps them expand themselves as individuals. Reading this makes me hope efforts will be made to adjust both tax code and accounting principles to incentivize investment in human capital. 

Do I believe this will “save ALL the jobs!”? No. But it could go a long way in the struggle against automation and help move employees to a higher level of activity. (Instead of being the guy who builds the thing, he’s the guy who runs the machines that build the thing. Or the guy who gets to focus on new, creative strategic directions for company activity).

It will be interesting to see if this suggestion goes anywhere over time.