Labor
Quality
A large percent of jobs suck
Usually there are simple fixes that bosses either haven't considered, or don't care about because they don't improve profits.
This wiki will be a platform for specific, material ways that workplaces could be improved.
- You'll be able to post anonymously - and collaboratively - on how your workplace could & should change.
- (no matter if it's a quick fix or a complete redesign)
- There will be pages for every type of job.
With consensus comes power.
Beyond just envisioning how the same work could be done more enjoyably, we can also consider how entire industries could reallocate resources better, to do different work that the world needs more of. From a leftist perspective, seize the means of production.
For now
Quantity
The 40-hour work week was invented
Currently,
- People are overworked under capitalism
(...)( or at least, countries that call themselves capitalist ) . - People are also overworked under communism
(...)( or at least, countries that call themselves communist ) .
This page isn't to advocate for one system or another
No matter the economic system: If we produce the same amount of stuff, using the same technology, it's going to need (roughly) the same amount of labor.
Thus,
if we want a world where people work less
- (where people have more time for friends & family etc.),
we have to be honest about what goods & services the world should produce less of.
- It's a tradeoff, but a worthwhile one.
Easy targets
To some extent, we can reduce production/labor while barely sacrificing quality of life at all.
That's what is meant by easy. But it means fighting hard against the following things:
- Wasted goods
(...)( whether from businesses or from individuals - waste is effectively the gap between production and consumption ) - Planned obsolescence
- Car dependency
(...)( Although it would probably need more labor in the short term (to make neighborhoods walkable), it would reduce the overall labor in the long term, by reducing total vehicle production and fuel consumption. Then again, if the walkability was done to expand the service-based economy, then overall labor wouldn't be reduced at all. ) - Zero-sum jobs
- Extreme inequality of consumption
(...)( specifically, the extravagant lifestyles of the richest people, which depend heavily on the labor of "lower classes" )
Harder sells
If the "easy targets" aren't enough on their own, we can go further
Note: This applies mostly to the middle classes of developed countries. Don't go around telling poor people to consume less!
Services: Some countries have a service-based economy. A shorter work week would mean that people eat less often at restaurants, cafes, fast food etc.
Goods: Consumer goods depend heavily on factory labor. We can still have nice things, we just wouldn't replace them as often. Reduce; re-use; see also: frugalism.
In some socialist systems, food would be completely free, which means that cashiers may not be needed in grocery stores. Other kinds of labor might be needed though.[QUANTIFICATION needed] Farmers are always needed in any case, but keep in mind that farming is less than 2% of jobs in highly-industrialized developed countries.
But isn't creating jobs a good thing?
Read the exploiter's fallacy page for more details.
This section will be filled in soon.
What about A.I. and automation?
This past century is full of technological innovations that increase efficiency
If we want robots
Implementation
How could the world actually transition to being less overworked?
This section will be filled in soon.
Spoiler: It depends whether it's done through socialism or free markets etc.
Data tables
How much labor does it take to sustain the things we need & want? Below is a table of estimates:
Thing to sustain | Hours/week per capita |
Would decrease if |
Would increase if |
---|---|---|---|
Food production[''']includes farming & processing, but not sales or services | Plant-based Less food waste |
Less mechanized farming | |
Energy | Frugalism Walkability |
Renewables | |
Housing | Less cosmetic renos More essential renos Multi-unit buildings |
Single-detached homes | |
... |
Here's also a table for individual goods/services:
Item | Human labor hours[''']for most items, there are only estimates & averages. More precise data is extremely hard to find. |
---|---|
Tee shirt | |
Smartphone | |
Car | |
House | |
... |
These tables have not been filled in yet.