“Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!” The absurd relation between work, wealth and growth

Praised by politicians, needed by workers, demanded by leftists and teabaggers:

“Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!”

How the call for jobs demonstrates the absurd relation between work, wealth and growth in capitalism

Now that unemployment is up around 10%, the widespread lack of work is causing serious concern. After all, everyone needs work, but a lot of people don’t find any. But who really has this problem – is it a problem for the unemployed or for the aspiring leaders of the nation? Everyone considers it a major problem, but what kind of a strange problem is it? After all, if there is no longer so much work to do, if it really takes fewer people less time to produce necessities, then why doesn't this mean less toil for everybody? Why instead does everybody need work in order to live, and such long and intensive working hours?

Instead, one demand drowns out the rest: “jobs jobs jobs!” If people don’t have work to do, then everyone agrees that companies, unions and the government must do everything in their power to put people to work. But is it so obvious that people need work, of all things? Is it their lack of toil that makes them poor?

Everybody considers it normal and obvious that a lack of work is a threat to most people’s livelihoods, but what does that tell us about this best of all possible economies? What kind of an economy is this, where people's livelihoods don't depend on whether enough goods have been produced for consumption, but on more and more work? And if that’s the case, why is there always a shortage of work? What does this tell us about the relationship between work, wealth and growth in capitalism? We invite you to come and find out.