The Future of Jobs

Will the Job Crisis Be Remedied?

Just last month, my teenage son shared with me his vision of the perfect world. People wouldn’t have to work, basic needs would be supplied, and people could concentrate on creative dreams. Pie in the sky, right? Well, on the weekend I read an article in The Atlantic, “The End of Work.”

Manufacturing jobs have steadily declined the last few decades and phasing in robotic workers has escalated—think drones and self-propelled vehicles. Social change has started and we are well into the throes of the consequences. Computers open a small percent of technical jobs compared to the jobs they replace. Americans in particular consider their jobs or at least working as part and parcel of who they are. To have that stripped from us will have long-lasting emotional and financial repercussions.

The New Landscape of Work

What will the future workplace look like? Many cities revolve around their office complexes, jobs that can be done more and more by computers that don’t need multi-storied buildings. Will we find new uses for them—apartments?—or will they become part of a dying city? And all the displaced workers, will they stay in the city or spread out? Depends on how the transition is handled.

Some, like my son, see a world where people’s basic needs are met, so they can concentrate on raising families, taking care of the elderly, becoming artisans, or other jobs machines cannot do. Some suggest something like Craig’s List where people can gain work credits for doing sundry jobs or community centers in individual neighborhoods where people can go to socialize and prevent isolation as they work together on needed jobs.

Emotional Consequences

The majority of Americans find self-worth in working. Those who have been ousted from their jobs and spend long periods unable to find another, tend to suffer greater substance abuse, spousal abuse, and depression. We need to be useful, though the American dream of a worthwhile, fulfilling job isn’t the American reality. Most find their jobs boring, especially low wage jobs that are becoming the norm, even for college graduates.

No one knows how resources might be divvied up or by what criteria. Whichever way we wind up will in large part depend on the foundations we build now for this coming change. As a parent, I find this especially daunting. How do I prepare my kids for a future with which I have no familiarity? I never had trouble finding a job as a young person—a well-paying job is another story. After college, I worked a full-time job and two part-time jobs. Still couldn’t afford an apartment. Since my son has already been thinking about this, however, maybe he’s already on the right track. I hope so.