As someone who has been involved in automated machinery for 25 years, from my experience - and everything I have read with regards to CONTEMPORARY economics(not “old Economics textbooks”) - shows tha yes, there is more employment in China, Taiwan, parts of Germany and Italy(even Brazil!) - but those jobs do not even remotely account for what the automation cuts out.
Not to mention that most of the jobs gained are in places where labor is not valued.
In a way, this is moot. Increased automation will not slow down because it cuts down on employment. It’s the main reason why such machinery makes gains every year.
But that does not men we should not be aware of it, as Krugman is. It’s a part of the real world that we must take into account. People need jobs. Factories are less and less large scale employers. That means some other form of mass employment needs to be figured out.
But by burying our heads in the sand and pretend that his argument is old and irrelevant, is silly.