DOCSLIB.ORG

Combining the Entry of Young People in the Labour Market with the Retention of Older Workers

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Combining the Entry of Young People in the Labour Market with the Retention of Older Workers DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT A: EMPLOYMENT POLICY Combining the entry of young people in the labour market with the retention of older workers STUDY Abstract This study provides an overview of the employment situation of young and old workers in the EU Member States, setting out the most recent developments during the crisis and dealing with policies implemented to promote the employment of both groups. The evidence collected shows that there is no competition between young and older workers on the labour market. Structural or general policies to enhance the functioning of EU labour markets are crucial to improving the situation of both groups. However, the responsibility for employment policies still predominantly lies within Member States of the European Union, although initiatives taken at the EU level can provide added value, particularly through stimulating the exchange of experiences and facilitating regional and cross-border mobility throughout the EU. IP/A/EMPL/ST/2012-04 April 2013 PE 507.445 EN This document was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. AUTHORS Eichhorst, Werner (IZA) Boeri, Tito (frdb) Braga, Michela (fdb) De Coen, An (IDEA Consult) Galasso, Vicenzo (frdb) Gerard, Maarten (IDEA Consult) Kendzia, Michael (IZA) Mayrhuber, Christine (WIFO) Pedersen, Jakob Louis (NIRAS) Schmidl. Ricarda (IZA) Steiber, Nadia (WIFO) RESPONSIBLE ADMINISTRATOR Ms. Laurence Smajda Policy Department A: Economic and Scientific Policy European Parliament B-1047 Brussels E-mail: [email protected] LINGUISTIC VERSIONS Original: EN ABOUT THE EDITOR To contact the Policy Department or to subscribe to its newsletter please write to: [email protected] Manuscript completed in April 2013 © European Union, 2013 This document is available on the Internet at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/studies DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy. Combining the entry of young people in the labour market with the retention of older workers CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 5 LIST OF TABLES 6 LIST OF FIGURES 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7 1. CHALLENGES FOR POLICY MAKERS RELATED TO THE EMPLOYMENT LEVELS OF YOUNG AND OLD WORKERS 10 1.1 Demographic shifts 10 1.2 The impact of the crisis 12 1.2.1 Activity rate 12 1.2.2 Employment rates 14 1.2.3 Unemployment rate 19 1.3 Pressures of low employment levels of young and old on social security systems, especially pensions systems 22 2. MEASURES TO INCREASE EMPLOYMENT OF YOUNGER AND OLDER WORKERS 26 2.1 Difficulties for younger and older workers 27 2.1.1 Younger workers 29 2.1.2 Older workers 29 2.2 Overview of measures targeting the entry into the labour market of the youth 31 2.2.1 Launch of various policies to increase youth employment 31 2.2.2 Evaluation results 37 2.3 Overview of measures to prevent the early exit of the labour market of the older workers 40 2.3.1 Policies in place at the European level 40 2.3.2 Theoretical framework 41 2.3.3 Institutional framework 42 2.3.4 Measures taken at the national level 44 2.4 Measures promoting employment of both groups 48 2.4.1 Targeted measures 48 2.4.2 Universal measures 49 3. DO POLICY MAKERS REALLY FACE TWO COMPETING CHALLENGES? 51 3.1 Is there an impact of the retention of older workers on the entry of young workers into the labour market? 52 3.1.1 The lump of labour theory 52 3.1.2 Review of existing evidence on the potential links between the postponement of retirement and the employment chances of youth 53 3.1.3 Economic downturn and recovery 55 PE 507.445 3 Policy Department A: Economic and Scientific Policy 3.1.4 The dual labour market and age-based inequality in job quality 59 3.1.5 The potential impact of recent reforms of EU pension systems 60 3.1.6 The imperfect substitutability between young and older workers 64 3.2 Do these two issues need to be treated independently by policymakers or should they better be linked? 69 3.3 Converting employment challenges into opportunities for new sectors 70 3.3.1 The need to identify employment opportunities 70 3.3.2 Employment opportunities in developing sectors 70 3.3.3 Requiring the necessary skills 73 4. CASE STUDIES ON THE MEASURES TAKEN 76 4.1 Denmark 76 4.2 Germany 78 4.3 Belgium 82 4.4 Italy 84 4.5 Austria 88 5. CONCLUSION AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS 91 5.1 Concluding remarks: Young and old workers on the labour market 91 5.2 Policy recommendations 93 REFERENCES 97 ANNEX 111 4 PE 507.445 Combining the entry of young people in the labour market with the retention of older workers LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ALMP Active Labour Market Policies AR Ageing Report CEDEFOP European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training DG ECFIN Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs EC European Commission ECB European Central Bank ECJ European Court of Justice eDR Economic Dependency Ratio EEO European Employment Observatory EPC Economic Policy Committee EPL Employment Protection Legislation EREC European Renewable Energy Council ESDE Report on Employment and Social Developments in Europe ESF European Social Fund EU European Union EU LFS European Union Labour Force Survey GDP Gross Domestic Product ICT Information and Communication Technology ILO International Labour Organisation IMF International Monetary Fund ISCO International Standard Classification of Occupations IT Intelligent Technology NUTS Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development SHARE Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe STEM Science, tech, engineering, and maths UB Unemployment Benefits UNEP United Nations Environmental Programme VET Vocational Education and Training WB World Bank WHP Workplace Health Promotion PE 507.445 5 Policy Department A: Economic and Scientific Policy LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Distribution of the 15-24 population according to their educational and employment status, EU-27, 2001-2011 17 Table 2: Youth/older workers unemployment ratios, 2008-2011 58 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Projected change of the population of working age and the elderly (in % change over the period 2011-2060 11 Figure 2: Total dependency ratio (in percentage) 12 Figure 3: Evolution of EU-27 activity rate (%) 13 Figure 4: Changes in activity rate of younger workers (15-24), 2000-2008 and 2008- 2011 13 Figure 5: Changes in activity rate of older workers (55-64), 2001-2008 and 2008- 2011 14 Figure 6: Evolution of EU-27 employment rate (%) 15 Figure 7: Changes in employment rates of younger workers (15-24), 2001-2008 and 2008-2011 15 Figure 8: Changes in employment rates of older workers (55-64), 2001-2008 and 2008-2011 16 Figure 9: Duration of working life at age 50 (number of years) 18 Figure 10: Evolution of EU-27 unemployment rate (%) 19 Figure 11: Changes in unemployment rate of younger workers (15-24), 2001-2008 and 2008-2011 21 Figure 12: Changes in unemployment rate of older workers (55-64), 2001-2008 and 2008-2011 21 Figure 13: Demographic dependency ratio and total economic dependency ratio in comparison, 2010 24 Figure 14: ‘Inactive dependency ratio’ and ‘effective old age dependency ratio' in comparison 2010 25 Figure 15: Conceptual model for career mobility 27 Figure 16: Employment average annual growth needed 2011-2020 to meet the Europe 2020 employment target (employment rate 75% in 2020) 41 Figure 17: Increase in total employment rate and employment rate 55-64 between 2000-2011 47 Figure 18: External conditions and the employment of older and younger workers 54 Figure 19: Change in unemployment rates, 2008-2011, two age groups 55 Figure 20: Activity rates age 55-64 and youth unemployment, 2011 57 Figure 21: Changes in activity rates (55-64) and youth unemployment, 2008-2011 57 Figure 22: Effective Retirement Age in OECD countries 1970-2011 60 Figure 23: Trends in employment rates for young and elderly individuals in European Countries 63 Figure 24: Employment rates by age groups in Denmark, 2000-2011 77 Figure 25: Employment rates by age groups in Germany, 2000-2011 79 Figure 26: Employment rates by age groups in Belgium, 2000-2011 82 Figure 27: Employment rates by age groups in Italy, 2000-2011 84 Figure 28: Employment rates by age groups in Austria, 2000-2011 88 6 PE 507.445 Combining the entry of young people in the labour market with the retention of older workers EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study provides an overview of the employment situation of young and old workers in EU Member States, adopting a specific focus on: (i) the most recent developments during the crisis and medium-term demographic developments; (ii) policies implemented to promote the employment of both groups; (iii) evidence on the alleged tension between the employment prospects of young and older workers; and (iv) offering policy recommendations for EU Member States and European institutions. Young workers represent the more fragile group In terms of the recent situation for young and old workers in European labour markets, it is evident that young people have suffered most from the recent crisis through rising unemployment and declining employment, particularly in those countries where entry into employment, and typically into permanent jobs, was quite difficult even before the crisis. At the same time, the employment rates of older workers have been more resilient and less responsive to the crisis, owing to the withdrawal of early retirement incentives and a more stable employment position compared to younger labour market entrants.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • OECD Employment Outlook © OECD 2004
    ISBN 92-64-10812-2 OECD Employment Outlook © OECD 2004 Chapter 1 Recent Labour Market Developments and Prospects Special Focus on: Clocking in (and out): Several Facets of Working Time The amount of time devoted to paid work is at the nexus of several of the key economic and social challenges facing OECD governments. The potential contribution of working-time flexibility to lowering unemployment has been highlighted by the OECD Jobs Strategy, while recent analyses of the sources of economic growth have highlighted the importance of average hours worked. However, longer and flexible working hours may not be fully compatible policy goals, nor are they an unmixed blessing from the perspective of the well-being of workers and their families. How do working hours vary across OECD countries? What are the links between employment rates for women and other under-represented groups, the incidence of part-time work and total hours worked? Is work-life balance threatened by rising employment rates for parents and a “long-hours culture”? Introduction . 18 1. Recent labour market developments and prospects . 18 2. Clocking in (and out): several facets of working time . 24 Conclusions . 48 Annex 1.A1. Data Sources, Definitions and Cross-country Comparability for the Analysis of Working Time from the Economy-wide Perspective . 53 Bibliography . 58 OECD EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK – ISBN 92-64-10812-2 – © OECD 2004 17 1. RECENT LABOUR MARKET DEVELOPMENTS AND PROSPECTS Introduction The world economy appears to be moving into a broad and sustainable recovery, although some continental European countries have thus far been largely bypassed. Even in those countries where the recovery is already well underway, labour market conditions have been slow to register improvements.
    [Show full text]
  • Is the 'Lump of Labour' a Self-Evident Fallacy? the Case of Great Britain
    1 Is the ‘lump of labour’ a self-evident fallacy? The case of Great Britain. Jacques Wels and John Macnicol Introduction The lump of labour fallacy is nowadays used by policy-makers as one of the strongest arguments against early retirement. The case in essence is that the labour market is not based on a fixed sum of jobs and, consequently, retirement ages can be adjusted without any harm. It may seem logical to argue that increasing the age of retirement may lead to a decrease in youth employment. However, opponents of the lump of labour argue that there is no share of jobs between the young and the old. The dominant literature also tends to support the idea that increasing older workers’ employment participation leads to an increase in youth employment; what is good for one is good for all. In other words, the current idea is that the labour market is a dynamic environment, where jobs are created and destroyed at the same time (Cahuc and Zylberberg, 2015), integrating the population whatever is its size and its composition. In summary, supporting the lump of labour fallacy leads one to think that an increase in retirement ages is good for the economy – as it reduces the pension expenditure, raises overall employment and increases tax revenue – and good, consequently, for all workers. This paper looks at the evolution of the concept of the lump of labour fallacy over time. The first part looks at its origins, its policy implications and recent works dedicated to it, focussing particularly on retirement ages.
    [Show full text]
  • Why the Lump of Labour Fallacy Helps Explain Some Countries Being More Anti-Austerity Than Others
    Why the lump of labour fallacy helps explain some countries being more anti-austerity than others blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2015/02/17/why-the-lump-of-labour-fallacy-helps-explain-some-countries-being-more-anti-austerity-than-others/ 17/02/2015 Why do citizens in some countries oppose austerity policies more forcefully than citizens in other states, even when the impact of such policies on living standards is relatively similar? Achim Kemmerling presents a psychological explanation for this variation in opinions across Europe. He argues that countries with a stronger belief in the ‘zero-sum’ nature of labour markets are more likely to oppose austerity measures. Economics is fifty per cent psychology and the rest is imagination. This bon mot sounds exaggerated, but the global financial crisis has revealed how accurate it is. The truth is that whatever approach economists adopt – be it neoclassic, heterodox or neo-Keynesian – they can never be right if the people don’t believe their narratives. If people don’t believe in the benefits of debt reduction then they will save, protest or emigrate; but if people don’t believe in the benefits of increased spending then they will also save, protest or emigrate. Economic policies can only work if the people accept and believe the rationale behind the policy in question. A good economic equilibrium is therefore only as good as the underlying political equilibrium of accepting economic outcomes. European governments are now facing a gulf in expectations as the two equilibriums diverge. A psychological explanation for why people don’t believe in austerity The basic story put forward to justify austerity is that a reduction in debt will generate an economic turnaround, but why have people rejected this narrative? Some economists would say that people have rejected it simply because it is wrong, but the problem is more protracted than this.
    [Show full text]
  • Intergenerational Balance, Mandatory Retirement and Age Discrimination in Europe
    Intergenerational Balance, Mandatory Retirement and Age Discrimination in Europe: How can the ECJ better support National Courts in Finding a Balance between the Generations? By: Dr. Elaine Dewhurst1 Abstract This paper addresses the rather vexed question of intergenerational balance, a balance which has become increasingly more difficult to achieve as a result of the impact of the financial crisis and the demographic crisis in Europe. More particularly, the paper examines the approach of European Union law to the issue of mandatory retirement, an approach which has generally left national courts with the difficult task of balancing the rights of older workers against the claims of younger workers within limited guidance from the ECJ as to how this can be achieved successfully. Through an analysis of the legislative and judicial approach of the European Union and through an examination of the empirical evidence relating to the impact of mandatory retirement policies on intergenerational balance, it is concluded that while the European Union’s current approach is justifiable, more specific guidance should be given to national courts to assist them in determining this problematic question. Recommendations as to the scope and content of such guidance will be made. Keywords: Employment Law; Age Discrimination; Intergenerational Balance; Mandatory Retirement Introduction “And I would like to speak to the elders, to those who have spent their lifetime working in this region, and well, I would like them to show the way, that life must change; when it is time to retire, leave the labor force in order to provide jobs for your sons and daughters.
    [Show full text]
  • Lump of Labour – Which Can Be Shared out in Different Ways to Create
    Why Economists Dislike a Lump of Labor by the Sandwichman One of the best-known fallacies in economics is the notion that there is a fixed amount of work to be done – a lump of labour – which can be shared out in different ways to create fewer or more jobs (Bishop 2004, 159). The regulation of working time has been a controversial topic since at least the second decade of the nineteenth century when the Ten Hours Movement was active in Great Britain. How the hours of work are determined in the absence of direct government regulation is also controversial, with neoclassical economists arguing that the individual supply of labor time is based on workers’ choices between income and leisure while Marxists and institutionalists maintain that political power, institutional structures and class conflict are decisive (Philp et al. 2005). Over the course of the twentieth century, an odd polemic has become a commonplace in the discourse of mainstream economics. That polemic is based on the claim that policies aimed at creating employment through limiting the hours of work stem from the mistaken belief that there is a fixed amount of work to be done. Economists call this allegedly widespread delusion the ‘lump-of-labor fallacy.’ Recently, denunciations of the lump-of-labor fallacy have surfaced in debates about attempts by European governments to combat joblessness through policies that reduce working time, such as the 35-hour workweek introduced in France in the late 1990s. This article catalogs some of those recent flare-ups and examines the substance, history and possible consequences for policy deliberation of the claim.
    [Show full text]
  • The Precariat
    The Precariat Prelims.indb i 4/11/11 9:57 AM This page intentionally left blank The Precariat The New Dangerous Class Guy Standing BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC Prelims.indb iii 4/11/11 9:57 AM First published in 2011 by Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 36 Soho Square, London W1D 3QY, UK and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA Copyright © Guy Standing 2011. This work is published subject to a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licence. You may share this work for non-commercial purposes only, provided you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher. For permission to publish commercial versions please contact Bloomsbury Academic. CIP records for this book are available from the British Library and the Library of Congress ISBN (hardback) 978-1-84966-352-6 ISBN (paperback) 978-1-84966-351-9 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-84966-456-1 ISBN (ebook PDF) 978-1-84966-454-7 This book is produced using paper that is made from wood grown in managed, sustainable forests. It is natural, renewable and recyclable. The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. Printed and bound in Great Britain by the MPG Books Group, Bodmin, Cornwall Cover designer: MP Cover image: Construction Workers at Kings Cross by Colin Gray www.CGPGrey.com CC licensed www.bloomsburyacademic.com Contents Preface vii List of Abbreviations ix 1 The Precariat 1 2 Why the Precariat Is Growing 26 3 Who Enters the Precariat? 59 4 Migrants: Victims, Villains or Heroes? 90 5 Labour, Work and the Time Squeeze 115 6 A Politics of Inferno 132 7 A Politics of Paradise 155 Bibliography 184 Index 191 v Prelims.indb v 4/11/11 9:57 AM This page intentionally left blank Preface his book is about a new group in the world, a class-in-the-making.
    [Show full text]
  • “Britain's Self-Employed Millions Urgently Need
    The steady rise of self-employment since the turn of the millennium Free Radicals is arguably the most significant labour market trend of the past two decades. There are now some 4.77m self-employed workers plying their trade in the British labour market – nearly 15 per cent of the total workforce, up from around 12 per cent in 2001. There is little doubt that this rise represents a structural rather than cyclical transformation. As such, the public policy debate about self-employment should no longer be confined to the margins: it is a mainstream employment arrangement and deserves a level of political attention that befits its status. “Britain’s self-employed This report aims to assist that process. Because the truth is that policy has not reacted adequately to self-employment’s extraordinary rise. Indeed, the dominant ethos of the relevant public policy systems millions urgently need - employment legislation, tax and benefit, education and training – are still consistent with a time when self-employment was markedly less central to British society and its economy. In an era where self- a new deal…” employment approaches the size of the public sector, this instinct is no longer tenable - Britain’s self-employed millions urgently need a ‘new deal’. Across six key public policy themes – savings, the platform economy, tax, education, working conditions, and support for vulnerable workers – this report makes thirty recommendations that FREE RADICALS suggest what that new deal should look like in practice. In each case we focus on measures that aspire to reduce economic insecurity for the self-employed.
    [Show full text]
  • How to Combine the Entry of Young People in the Labour Market with the Retention of Older Workers?
    IZA DP No. 7829 How to Combine the Entry of Young People in the Labour Market with the Retention of Older Workers? Werner Eichhorst Vincenzo Galasso Tito Boeri Michael J. Kendzia An de Coen Nadia Steiber December 2013 DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit Institute for the Study of Labor How to Combine the Entry of Young People in the Labour Market with the Retention of Older Workers? Werner Eichhorst Vincenzo Galasso IZA Bocconi University Tito Boeri Michael J. Kendzia Bocconi University IWSB and IZA and IZA An de Coen Nadia Steiber IDEA Consult University of Vienna Discussion Paper No. 7829 December 2013 IZA P.O. Box 7240 53072 Bonn Germany Phone: +49-228-3894-0 Fax: +49-228-3894-180 E-mail: [email protected] Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but the institute itself takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent nonprofit organization supported by Deutsche Post Foundation. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its international network, workshops and conferences, data service, project support, research visits and doctoral program. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research results and concepts to the interested public.
    [Show full text]
  • The Precariat
    The Precariat Prelims.indb i 4/11/11 9:57 AM This page intentionally left blank The Precariat The New Dangerous Class Guy Standing BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC Prelims.indb iii 4/11/11 9:57 AM First published in 2011 by Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 36 Soho Square, London W1D 3QY, UK and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA Copyright © Guy Standing 2011. This work is published subject to a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licence. You may share this work for non-commercial purposes only, provided you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher. For permission to publish commercial versions please contact Bloomsbury Academic. CIP records for this book are available from the British Library and the Library of Congress ISBN (hardback) 978-1-84966-352-6 ISBN (paperback) 978-1-84966-351-9 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-84966-456-1 ISBN (ebook PDF) 978-1-84966-454-7 This book is produced using paper that is made from wood grown in managed, sustainable forests. It is natural, renewable and recyclable. The logging and manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. Printed and bound in Great Britain by the MPG Books Group, Bodmin, Cornwall Cover designer: MP Cover image: Construction Workers at Kings Cross by Colin Gray www.CGPGrey.com CC licensed www.bloomsburyacademic.com Contents Preface vii List of Abbreviations ix 1 The Precariat 1 2 Why the Precariat Is Growing 26 3 Who Enters the Precariat? 59 4 Migrants: Victims, Villains or Heroes? 90 5 Labour, Work and the Time Squeeze 115 6 A Politics of Inferno 132 7 A Politics of Paradise 155 Bibliography 184 Index 191 v Prelims.indb v 4/11/11 9:57 AM This page intentionally left blank Preface his book is about a new group in the world, a class-in-the-making.
    [Show full text]
  • The 35-Hour Workweek in France: Straightjacket Or Welfare Improvement?
    The 35-hourMARCELLO© BlackwellCEPR,THETheEconomicOriginal ESTEVÃO 35-HOUROxford,0266-46581468-0327 35-hourCES,ECOP XXXPublishing Articles MSH,PolicyUK weekANDWEEK 2008. Ltd FILIPA SÁ SUMMARY week Workweek reduction laws may be beneficial if market interactions do not fully take into account the preferences reflected in declining secular trends in working hours. The most recent law in France shortened the workweek from 39 to 35 hours in 2000 for large firms, and in 2002 for small firms. Analysing differences between large and small firm employees before and after the law, we find that aggregate employment was unaffected but labour turnover increased, as firms shed workers who became more expensive. Survey responses indicate that the welfare impact of the law was different across groups of workers: women but not men may have ben- efited from coordination to a shorter workweek, and there is also evidence of negative welfare effects for managers, possibly due to the law’s administrative burden. — Marcello Estevão and Filipa Sá Economic Policy July 2008 Printed in Great Britain © CEPR, CES, MSH, 2008. THE 35-HOUR WEEK 419 The 35-hour workweek in France: Straightjacket or welfare improvement? Marcello Estevão and Filipa Sá IMF; MIT and IZA 1. INTRODUCTION Since the industrial revolution, the length of the workweek has taken a central place in labour relations. In the nineteenth century, wage earners usually worked 12–16 hours per day, 6–7 days per week; a situation that began changing as the labour movement grew in force and organization. Indeed, in many countries across the world Labour Day is celebrated on 1 May, the starting date of a strike in 1886 Chicago in favour of an 8-hour working day, when several workers were killed and wounded.
    [Show full text]
  • Technological Unemployment and the Meaning of Life
    Will life be worth living in a world without work? Technological Unemployment and the Meaning of Life By John Danaher, forthcoming in Science and Engineering Ethics Abstract Suppose we are about to enter an era of increasing technological unemployment. What implications does this have for society? Two distinct ethical/social issues would seem to arise. The first is one of distributive justice: how will the (presumed) efficiency gains from automated labour be distributed through society? The second is one of personal fulfillment and meaning: if people no longer have to work, what will they do with their lives? In this article, I set aside the first issue and focus on the second. In doing so, I make three arguments. First, I argue that there are good reasons to embrace non-work and that these reasons become more compelling in an era of technological unemployment. Second, I argue that the technological advances that make widespread technological unemployment possible could still threaten or undermine human flourishing and meaning, especially if (as is to be expected) they do not remain confined to the economic sphere. And third, I argue that this threat could be contained if we adopt an integrative approach to our relationship with technology. In advancing these arguments, I draw on three distinct literatures: (i) the literature on technological unemployment and workplace automation; (ii) the antiwork critique — which I argue gives reasons to embrace technological unemployment; and (iii) the philosophical debate about the conditions for meaning in life — which I argue gives reasons for concern. Keywords: Automation; Technological Unemployment; Antiwork; Freedom; Egalitarianism; Meaning of Life 1 1.
    [Show full text]