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If part-time means $320k, hell yes, Sign me up. That's 5x my income (before taxes). But that's not the future. The future is full-time and more. The age structu

by tgv 4y ago

If part-time means $320k, hell yes, Sign me up. That's 5x my income (before taxes). But that's not the future. The future is full-time and more. The age structure of the population pyramid doesn't leave much choice. That's in most of the Western world, of course. There are parts in the world where it looks different, but in those parts $320k is enough to retire.

atlasunshrugged 4y ago
Agreed, population in the U.S. is shrinking if you take out immigration which I have little hope of reform for, add in the number of older people who retired during Covid and aren't coming back and there are going to be a lot of skilled jobs empty with gaps needing to be filled by existing workers.
- coffee_beqn 4y ago
  Isn’t that good for us worker bees? You can set more boundaries because employers have to fight for you
- falcolas 4y ago
  If you have openings you can't fill, doesn't it make sense to open those up to people with the right skills who can't hold FT jobs?
- californical 4y ago
  It sounds like we’ll need to improve worker efficiency then, while at the same time workers are able to demand better working conditions and fewer hours because of competition for them. Company A wants you to work 40 hours, but Company B has better processes and efficiency and can get the same productivity out of 32 hours of work. Because of shrinking/stagnant workforce, this doesn’t cause unemployment to spike, and they still need you for those 32 hours so they’re willing to offer a competitive salary. Maybe this is a bit over-optimistic, but I think that assuming everyone will just work more hours is equally over-pessimistic! Realistically we’ll likely get something in the middle. But hopefully leaning more towards the optimistic side :)
ernestipark 4y ago
I would surmise that a greater normalization of part-time work could increase the size of the workforce or at least not decrease it as much as you think. Just looking at parents, there are a ton who drop out of the workforce because they don't want to work full time and care for kids. Or, some people never jump into a career in the first place because of the barrier.
bsder 4y ago
However, people don't seem to get that if you can do your work completely remotely, you can be outsourced for cheaper. Layoffs and outsourcing are happening now. Salaries are about to drop. Buckle up. The ride is going to be bumpy.
RickJWagner 4y ago
I think you're right. Somebody has to actually 'make stuff'. With less 'stuff' being produced because workers are going part time, prices will go up. Because prices will go up, people will have to make more money, resulting in...... longer hours.

by tgv 4y ago

atlasunshrugged 4y ago

Agreed, population in the U.S. is shrinking if you take out immigration which I have little hope of reform for, add in the number of older people who retired during Covid and aren't coming back and there are going to be a lot of skilled jobs empty with gaps needing to be filled by existing workers.

coffee_beqn 4y ago
Isn’t that good for us worker bees? You can set more boundaries because employers have to fight for you
falcolas 4y ago
If you have openings you can't fill, doesn't it make sense to open those up to people with the right skills who can't hold FT jobs?
californical 4y ago
It sounds like we’ll need to improve worker efficiency then, while at the same time workers are able to demand better working conditions and fewer hours because of competition for them. Company A wants you to work 40 hours, but Company B has better processes and efficiency and can get the same productivity out of 32 hours of work. Because of shrinking/stagnant workforce, this doesn’t cause unemployment to spike, and they still need you for those 32 hours so they’re willing to offer a competitive salary. Maybe this is a bit over-optimistic, but I think that assuming everyone will just work more hours is equally over-pessimistic! Realistically we’ll likely get something in the middle. But hopefully leaning more towards the optimistic side :)

ernestipark 4y ago

I would surmise that a greater normalization of part-time work could increase the size of the workforce or at least not decrease it as much as you think. Just looking at parents, there are a ton who drop out of the workforce because they don't want to work full time and care for kids. Or, some people never jump into a career in the first place because of the barrier.

bsder 4y ago

However, people don't seem to get that if you can do your work completely remotely, you can be outsourced for cheaper. Layoffs and outsourcing are happening now. Salaries are about to drop. Buckle up. The ride is going to be bumpy.

RickJWagner 4y ago

I think you're right. Somebody has to actually 'make stuff'. With less 'stuff' being produced because workers are going part time, prices will go up. Because prices will go up, people will have to make more money, resulting in...... longer hours.