Perhaps mass unemployment and extreme wealth disparity are the same problem. It's known that the productivity gains we've had from computers has mostly accumula

Perhaps mass unemployment and extreme wealth disparity are the same problem. It's known that the productivity gains we've had from computers has mostly accumulated at the top. Workers are more productive, but their pay does not reflect that. Wealth is moving around less because we don't need to spend (i.e. distribute) as much as we have in the past to generate more wealth. So, I think wealth disparity is a strong predictor for unemployment. I also think unemployment is the wrong word because it paints a false dichotomy. There's a not a huge lifestyle difference between making $20,000 a year and $0 a year (since the government steps in), compared to making $20,000 and $80,000 a year; and then $80,000 and $200,000. One reason housing prices are so high right now is because people (mistakenly IMO) view houses as an investment. NO one wants to lose money on a sale. Another reason (for some areas) is probably because of the productivity gains. Since we need to distribute less to make more wealth, we've further centralized our economy into smaller pockets of land (i.e. cities). So again, I think it's the same problem.