Re:Low unemployment isn’t worth much if the jobs barely pay
by kelnos on Sunday January 12, 2020 @04:16PM
(#22029440)
I think it proves -- or at least suggests -- the opposite of what you think. If we have low unemployment, but a lot of low-end jobs don't pay a living wage and people have to work multiple jobs at greater than 40 hours per week to make ends meet, that points to the work being so low-value that maybe it just doesn't need to be done, or that we'd be better served automating it.
The logical extreme in the opposite direction -- that our technology gets to the point where everything is automated and no one needs to do any kind of work -- suggests that we should be moving toward some form of universal basic income that provides for everyone's survival needs. People who want more than that can become skilled enough to do worthwhile jobs that provide meaningful income.
Obviously this won't be a panacea, and human nature will cause some people to be exploited while others are enriched, but this idea that life's purpose and meaning is just work work work work work is sad and nonsensical.
The logical extreme in the opposite direction -- that our technology gets to the point where everything is automated and no one needs to do any kind of work -- suggests that we should be moving toward some form of universal basic income that provides for everyone's survival needs. People who want more than that can become skilled enough to do worthwhile jobs that provide meaningful income.
Obviously this won't be a panacea, and human nature will cause some people to be exploited while others are enriched, but this idea that life's purpose and meaning is just work work work work work is sad and nonsensical.