[cr4ig_]

I would say "technology" is more appropriate than "automation". That and globalization have done it.

Example: I live in Baltimore, a city that used to have an array of industries paying living wage blue-collar jobs that didn't require a lot in the way of education or other qualifications. All those industries -- shipping/stevedoring, shipbuilding, steel, auto manufacturing, general manufacturing -- were either globalized and went overseas or in the case of shipping underwent a technology shift (containerization) that eliminated most of the good-paying jobs.

The white collar jobs were hit more by technology/automation. The city used to be a regional banking/insurance center, but between consolidation of banks or insurance companies to compete in wider markets and technology automating most of the clerical-level stuff, those jobs disappeared too.

The only jobs left in the city now are at the bottom or the top of the wage scale, the middle is completely gone. And you can easily see the impact it has had on the city.