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This is one reason some have called for a third category of worker: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/07/uber-economy-requires-a-new-category-of-worker

This is one reason some have called for a third category of worker: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/07/uber-economy-requires-a-new-category-of-worker.html http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/07/uber-economy-re... Germany has one already: http://www.npr.org/2015/06/26/417675866/service-jobs-like-uber-driver-blur-lines-between-old-job-categories http://www.npr.org/2015/06/26/417675866/service-jobs-like-ub... Of course, this would be much less of an issue if we had a guaranteed income, or even a lesser version of it for being between jobs; something like unemployment insurance, but only for people in this new category (which would have much less stringent requirements.) A universal health care system would also lessen their burden; ACA / Freelancer Union rates are still bananas expensive. If we accepted that modern workers that flit from job to job and project to project are here to stay and gave them a real safety net without all the nasty ideological baggage, we could come closer to achieving the dream of the fluid, frictionless, task-oriented labor force that some economists have thought we should have for decades. Instead we have the Precariat.

losteric 11y ago
> If we accepted that modern workers that flit from job to job and project to project are here to stay and gave them a real safety net without all the nasty ideological baggage, we could come closer to achieving the dream of the fluid, frictionless, task-oriented labor force that some economists have thought we should have for decades. Instead we have the Precariat.' In many cases, a student's chosen major dictates their career options for the rest of their employed lives. The costs of switching knowledge-based jobs is hurting job market responsiveness and driving social inequality. Fundamentally, the model of "learn as a kid - do as an adult" is obsolete. The world is far too complicated and moving far too fast. We need to strip down basic childhood education and publicly support adults learning throughout life. It doesn't have to be easy... it will still take years to switch domains. But that's a lag of 1-2 years for adults to retrain vs encouraging a new generation in highschool and waiting for them to pass through college.
- Futurebot 11y ago
  I agree completely. Tuition free higher education with living stipends a la Denmark is a way to get there.

losteric 11y ago

> If we accepted that modern workers that flit from job to job and project to project are here to stay and gave them a real safety net without all the nasty ideological baggage, we could come closer to achieving the dream of the fluid, frictionless, task-oriented labor force that some economists have thought we should have for decades. Instead we have the Precariat.' In many cases, a student's chosen major dictates their career options for the rest of their employed lives. The costs of switching knowledge-based jobs is hurting job market responsiveness and driving social inequality. Fundamentally, the model of "learn as a kid - do as an adult" is obsolete. The world is far too complicated and moving far too fast. We need to strip down basic childhood education and publicly support adults learning throughout life. It doesn't have to be easy... it will still take years to switch domains. But that's a lag of 1-2 years for adults to retrain vs encouraging a new generation in highschool and waiting for them to pass through college.

Futurebot 11y ago
I agree completely. Tuition free higher education with living stipends a la Denmark is a way to get there.