One of the current big issues with employment is the
exporting of jobs. So many types of work can be done remotely: software
engineering, accounting, law research, mechanical engineering and much
else. This has the effect of creating a
downward pressure on domestic wages and fees because workers are competing with
foreign pricing. Many employers farm out
work on a task by task basis. Most of the new jobs created in Canada last year
were part-time as I recall, and that is often suggestive of temporary work. My assessment is that there is a great deal
of job insecurity, and a lot of people, mainly millennials, are stressed about
whether they will have work. It’s a transitional phase of the economy I think.
Next step is guaranteed income for everyone as artificial
intelligence takes over much of the workload and many humans live in leisure. I
expect that this will lead to huge individual stresses. We all have a deep and
wide security need. It is satisfied by
knowing we are needed and valued. Sometimes we attain that through relationships,
but often through our work. People that have no work will tend to feel useless
--- marginalized. And they will feel
insecure. They will need to have strong and close relationships, but many won’t
have those. To me, it seems like a time of great psychological and social stress
coming.
