Across the country, automation is changing the landscape of local labor markets. Greenville is no exception. A new report from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) looked at 315 cities to identify the ways automation is affecting markets.

In the report, cities are divided into 13 archetypes (full list here) based on characteristics like economic health, business dynamism, labor force demographics + industry mix. The 13 archetypes were then grouped into five segments: Urban core, urban periphery, niche cities, mixed middle + low-growth and rural areas.

Greenville’s archetype is “America’s makers” in the “Mixed middle” segment.

Map of archetypes across the U.S. | McKinsey Global Institute analysis

Mixed middle cities account for ~24% of the U.S. population. They define this segment as “neither thriving nor in distress” – with patterns of slower economic and job growth, higher unemployment, and a slightly lower educational attainment compared to cities in the “Urban core” segment.

We’re in good company. Some other mixed middle cities are:

Cincinnati, O.H.
St. Louis, M.O.
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Lancaster, P.A.

Fifty locations make up America’s makers (basically manufacturing hubs) which accounts for ~3% of the population. Some of America’s makers are in decline, but others are on an upward trajectory – like Greenville – which has seen Gross Domestic Product (GDP) + population growth.

Let’s put it into perspective – some of the other America’s makers cities are:

Canton, O.H.
Greensboro, N.C.
Reading, P.A.
Spartanburg, S.C. (hey, neighbor 👋)
Staunton, V.A.

So, what do our labor market trends look like as it relates to automation? Across the country, automation is expected to affect some of the largest occupational categories like office support, food service, production work, customer service + retail. As some occupations decline, the economy should continue to grow + create new jobs. For America’s makers, the net job growth percentage from 2017-2030 is expected to be 8% (up from 2% between 2007-2017).

Want a deeper dive? Grab your cup o’ joe and click the link below for the full article.

The future of work in America

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