The subject of automation and its role in our economy has taken hold in American public discourse. Technology broadly and automation specifically are dramatically reshaping the way we work. And we need to have a plan for what’s still to come.

        We don’t have to look further than our own communities to see the devastating impact of automation. From automated warehouses to cashierless grocery stores to neighborhood libraries that offer self-checkout lanes instead of employing real people—automation is increasingly replacing jobs and leaving too few good new jobs behind.

        The statistics in manufacturing are staggering. Despite the widespread fears about trade, a recent report showed that just 13 percent of jobs lost in manufacturing are due to trade—the rest of the losses have been due to advances in technology.

        That is why more people are criticizing the ever-increasing role of technology in our economy. Our country is manufacturing more than ever before, but we are doing it with fewer workers. However, it’s not just factories that are seeing losses—software and information technology are also having a dramatic impact on jobs most people think are secure from the forces of a rapidly-changing economy. Something transformative is happening in America that is having an adverse effect on American families. Whether policymakers and politicians admit it or not, workers have made clear their feelings about their economic insecurity and desire to keep good jobs in America.

        So why are people so insistent on ignoring the perils of automation? They are failing to look ahead at a time when planning for the future is more important than ever. Resisting automation is futile: it is as inevitable as industrialization was before it. I sincerely hope that those who assert that automation will make us more effective and pave the way for new occupations are right, but the reality of automation’s detrimental effects on workers makes me skeptical. No one can currently say where the new jobs are coming from or when, and any sensible company or country should prepare for all alternatives.

        I’m not overstating the danger: look at what’s happened to the labor force. According to economic research, one in six working-age men, 25-54, doesn’t have a job. Fifty years ago, nearly 100 percent of men that age were working. Women’s labor force participation, meanwhile, has slipped back to the level it was at in the late 1980s.

        American families and prominent business leaders are aware that there’s a big problem with automation. The value of a college degree is diminishing, and our upward mobility is declining. If we want an economy that allows everyone to be economically secure, we need to start thinking about how we can rightfully address automation.

解析：D。根据题干中的the author’s description和our communities可以定位第二段。该段第一句提到，我们只需看看自己的社区，就能看到自动化带来的令人震惊影响，在第二句中又提到，自动化正在越来越多地取代工作岗位，几乎没留下多少好的新工作机会。D项与此相符，其中fading employment opportunities对应原文第二段第二句中的increasingly replacing jobs，D项是对第二句部分内容的近义改写，故为正确答案。

错项排除：第二段第二句中提到自动化仓库、杂货店的无人收银台、社区图书馆的自助登记通道，但这些例子是为了说明上一句提到的自动化带来的令人震惊的影响（devastating impact），并不是日益增长的热情，故A项排除。B项利用第四段第三句的information technology进行干扰，但文中是说软件和信息技术（IT）也对工作岗位产生了巨大影响，并不是说手工工作到IT工作的转变，故B项排除。C项在文中无依据，故排除。