Over the past 40 years, worker productivity has increased. This has actually led to there being more jobs available, but now robots and machines are on the horizon and people are worried that we will run out of jobs. For example, the transportation sector in the US employs 9.1% of workers (that includes administration and “related”). Will automated cars put a sizeable chunk of said workforce out of their jobs?
Some say robots will in fact create more jobs, so we should not worry. We survived the transition from agriculture, after all. Driverless cars, however, means that a lot of people whose vocational skill is handling a vehicle will need time to learn and find a new skill. In the transition period, they’ll be dependent on other low-skill jobs or their savings.
A universal basic income (UBI) could ensure people always had enough to meet minimum standards. That is, enough to pay rent and get food. It could also get people through tough patches. When we are at our lowest, isn’t it best to decide for ourselves how to spend our money, rather than working our way through a welfare system that puts a mandate on where you live and how you live your life?
UBI sounds utopian, but; the money has to come from somewhere. It also has to be distributed equally to all citizens, not just the poorest. This means that other tax money will be lost, and we are effectively giving the entire middle class excess money. What about spending more money on pre-schools, hospitals or infrastructure?
When kind donors help college students paying a part of the tuiton for college, the tuitions get raised. After all, prices were set on a price/demand model, not just covering minimal expenses. The same could also happen with UBI: if everyone has a 1000$ extra to spend, the cost of groceries and living accomodations can be increased by business.
I’ll leave it to the reader to decide for him/herself which is better.
0 comments