Some speculate that the actual unemployment rate in the U.S. is actually double the advertised 9.1% rate.  That is a tough situation and President Obama is promoting a stimulus bill at a cost of $450 billion that supposedly would create 1.2 million jobs.  Do the math and the cost equals $375,000 per job!  Ouch!  I read recently where some people are frustrated with private equity for not creating more jobs.  In fact, private equity can do just the opposite by supporting technology companies that eliminate jobs.

How many jobs have been lost since the internet became commercially viable ?  The Post Office has lost huge volumes as so much business is done on-line and let’s not forget email. So I started thinking about our company SmartFreightWare.  There is no doubt that our freight software improves shipping efficiency.  Companies can optimize carrier routing, tender shipments and obtain shipment status from a single portal.  No more calling carriers for quotes, accessing multiple carrier web-sites and having reports delivered to them.  Somewhere in that added efficiency is the need for fewer jobs.  While it isn’t email, transportation software makes shipping a much easier and simpler task and can even be automated by integrating with ERP, WMS or other systems.

I guess I can live with myself as our customers do save a lot of time and money and it makes their companies more viable.  If anything, I should be promoting how anyone unemployed should become certified truck drivers.  There is actually a shortage of drivers in the U.S. and projected to get worse.  I suppose living in a tiny truck for weeks at a time isn’t an ideal situation, but it is