Decent Work and Economic Growth
By Mollie Semple
Technology is in so many ways a blessing to so many people. A lot of work that is tiring, monotonous, dangerous and difficult will eventually be replaced by technology and AI.
This perhaps sounds mildly terrifying, like the robot apocalypse is soon to be upon us. Perhaps you can see images of the human race being taken over by AI leaders, suddenly slaves to that which they created.
Personally, I would not look at it like that. Technology is eventually going to make a lot of people’s lives more comfortable, so many of us will no longer be doing jobs that make us unhappy, that make us ill, that damage our bodies irreparably. However, there is going to be a fall out from that. People are going to lose jobs to technology and there may very well be greater numbers of unemployment. So, what are we going to do about it? How does the economy still grow and people are not left by the wayside?
There is today so much inequality in the workforce worldwide. There is slavery, child labour, and human trafficking. There is malpractice and low wages and for the hours that people slog through a working day it still is not enough to feed them, clothe them, provide shelter over their head.
In San Francisco there are whole families that are homeless despite the fact that parents are still working. This means that “decent work” is both not enough to provide the life security that a job promises nor can it be enough to properly encourage economic growth. This is a major flaw and an example of the radical change that needs to take place surrounding the workforce.
Economic growth for a country does not need the exploitation of human labour. It does not need children to work, it does not need employers to underpay employees, in most circumstances it does not need long and unhealthy hours for little to no reward. This is where the need for innovation comes in. We have to both protect the vulnerable from exploitation and ensure that labour is productive, forward thinking and fair.
This innovation will also be needed when jobs disappear because a computer can do it better. In many ways I find this exciting because I believe it opens up for a greater need for creativity. Where workers are stunted in their personal growth now, there may be greater opportunity to be creative, innovative and artistic as a means of earning a living in the future. There may be greater opportunity for people to be fulfilled in their working lives.
A current example of innovation and creativity for the workforce is in Honduras where there are measures in place to encourage productivity surrounding cultural heritage. From 2014 to 2017 there was a Sustainable Development Goals Fund programme to reduce poverty levels in vulnerable rural populations through the development of sustainable cultural tourism initiatives. This cultural heritage includes crafts, festivals and traditions, arts, food, and natural medicine. This means that through greater focus on the creative and beautiful aspects of a country’s culture the lives of its population can be improved. Isn’t that wonderful?
The programme aimed to achieve its initiatives through:
Ensuring women and youth of the Lenca region were at the centre of all strategies, promoting empowerment and active participation.
Institutional capacity building, community management of natural resources, and green business practices.
Encouraging the participation of beneficiaries in decision-making processes of both the programme and their communities.
This goes to show that economic growth does not need to be provided by back-breaking and exploitation of vulnerable communities. Instead, empowerment is key to enabling the economy to grow and progress and for people to themselves to grow and find fulfilment in their work. It is possible to provide both a greater means of income and a healthier, happier way of life.
I think initiatives like this is what we need to learn from going forward. Jobs will pop up and disappear as we work our way through this technological revolution. I genuinely believe that it is entirely possible to leave no man behind and that even though the landscape of the workforce will change dramatically it is possible to continue to be innovative and creative in the way we make our livelihoods.
Contrary to the belief of those who exploit their workers for their own financial gain, it is possible to be fair and to empower the vulnerable at the same time as contributing to economic growth. It is high-time for us all to recognise this.
Sources: