The idea of work or
the idea of a job must be in serious flux these days. On the way to
oblivion.
I regularly talk to people who respond to the question “What kind of work do you do?” with the very uncomfortable reply “I do xxx, but I love doing it.” Meaning it isn’t work to them.
Based on survey data,
there are roughly 45% of working age adults who are not counted in the
labor force, by choice; they say they ‘don’t work’. Many of these raise
children (very difficult but not work or a job ... its an historic role), maintain a home or write poetry.
There are another 5% who are truly self employed doing things they want to do. Among the remaining people in the labor force, mostly in corporations, 15% say they love what they do (mostly in management, the professions and running a small business).
Total that up, and two out of three Americans can not be called ‘workers’ or people who go to traditional ‘jobs’. Or put the other way, less than one out of three people can reasonably claim to have a job, go to work or look for work.
That doesn’t sound like a society where the terms labor force, work or jobs makes much sense.
We need some new terminology, especially for the tens of millions of people who earn money doing what they love doing. The earning/contributing part of their time is just living.
I regularly talk to people who respond to the question “What kind of work do you do?” with the very uncomfortable reply “I do xxx, but I love doing it.” Meaning it isn’t work to them.
There are another 5% who are truly self employed doing things they want to do. Among the remaining people in the labor force, mostly in corporations, 15% say they love what they do (mostly in management, the professions and running a small business).
Total that up, and two out of three Americans can not be called ‘workers’ or people who go to traditional ‘jobs’. Or put the other way, less than one out of three people can reasonably claim to have a job, go to work or look for work.
That doesn’t sound like a society where the terms labor force, work or jobs makes much sense.
We need some new terminology, especially for the tens of millions of people who earn money doing what they love doing. The earning/contributing part of their time is just living.