Michael Gurstein is right to distinguish between the end of work and the end
of jobs as we know them. As a parent, I can say for certain that the work
never ends. Not only may the number of those employed increase, as Mike
suggests. Many of those employed will be employed at more "jobs", whether
concurrently or consecutively. This condition COULD be a progressive step,
in terms of increased autonomy at work if it weren't for the old-style
coupling of income and employment benefits to a standard of full-time labour
force attachment that is no longer operative.
The old-style coupling was itself simply a convention, there shouldn't be
such a profound obstacle to changing it. But here's the catch, as I see it.
EITHER there has to be a new "standard package" of labour force attachment
OR income and benefits have to be uncoupled from whatever randomly
determined attachment that individuals happen to acquire. What has been
occuring instead is an INCREASED reliance on increasingly meaningless (to
productivity) criteria of hours of work, job tenure and individual
performance. What this means in practice is not "reward commensurate with
contribution" but a winner take all lottery.
regards,
Tom Walker
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/timework/worksite.htm
