In the advanced countries, the market for first-time purchases of mass-market goods like cars, refrigerators, and televisions is saturated, while the secondary market for used and reconditioned goods has become much less dynamic, undermining employment in repairs and renovations. With no industrial good that still requires a large-scale labor force – and the communications and services industries unable to fill the gap – employment is shrinking and economic growth is stagnating.
首先，工业化成了陈词滥调。在发达国家，汽车、冰箱、电视等大众市场商品的首次购买市场已经饱和，二手和翻新商品的二级市场早已没有了活力，这破坏了修理和翻新方面的就业。不再有工业品还需要大规模劳动力——而通信和服务业又无法跟上弥补缺口——因此失业每况愈下，经济增长停滞不前。