3 ms·

The number of days we work has nearly nothing to do with the technology available to us and everything to do with the relative power between labour and capital.

danielmarkbruce 3y ago
If this were true, rich people (ie, those with capital) would stop working. In most cases they don't. Keeping up with the joneses is a big driver of long work weeks. Globalization also drives it. Scale drives it. Boredom drives it. It's complicated.
- tetris11 3y ago
  Historia Civilis made a pretty good video on the nature of hours worked since time immemorial[0]. The takeaway message is: yes, the capital class are and have always been the main drivers of longer hours. 0: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37737663 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37737663
- pfranz 3y ago
  If you're rich and still working long hours you're not working because of the money. If you can be the CEO of multiple companies, those companies are not getting a full-time workweek and that person very likely isn't doing it for the money.
- JambalayaJim 3y ago
  I don’t think this is true at all. It’s not luxuries that are getting more and more expensive, it’s the basics.
Elyra 3y ago
Exactly, landlords will be working 0.5 days and renters will be working 5-6 days. So I guess they were actually right if they meant 3.5 days on average. I rent a very basic one bedroom in an awful location which costs more than half my after tax salary, and a round trip to my office in Toronto takes 3 hours and $45 of public transit. The price of this unit has also increased by more than my salary every year for the past 3 years.
- sdwr 3y ago
  I've met multiple people this week who recently relocated from Toronto. Rent is expensive everywhere, but it seems like TO is especially bad
  - Elyra 3y ago
    Yep, relevant discussion if you haven't seen it https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37446790 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37446790 Here's hoping I get to be one of those people who can relocate from Toronto next.
Acrobatic_Road 3y ago
If you chose to live like someone 100 years ago, you could probably get away with working 3.5 hours/week, or fewer.
- Elyra 3y ago
  But if you want to live like someone from 30 years ago, you would need to work 100 hours/week. I don't think I'll ever be able to afford a home even half as good as the one I grew up in (in Canada).

danielmarkbruce 3y ago

If this were true, rich people (ie, those with capital) would stop working. In most cases they don't. Keeping up with the joneses is a big driver of long work weeks. Globalization also drives it. Scale drives it. Boredom drives it. It's complicated.

tetris11 3y ago
Historia Civilis made a pretty good video on the nature of hours worked since time immemorial[0]. The takeaway message is: yes, the capital class are and have always been the main drivers of longer hours. 0: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37737663 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37737663
pfranz 3y ago
If you're rich and still working long hours you're not working because of the money. If you can be the CEO of multiple companies, those companies are not getting a full-time workweek and that person very likely isn't doing it for the money.
JambalayaJim 3y ago
I don’t think this is true at all. It’s not luxuries that are getting more and more expensive, it’s the basics.

Elyra 3y ago

Exactly, landlords will be working 0.5 days and renters will be working 5-6 days. So I guess they were actually right if they meant 3.5 days on average. I rent a very basic one bedroom in an awful location which costs more than half my after tax salary, and a round trip to my office in Toronto takes 3 hours and $45 of public transit. The price of this unit has also increased by more than my salary every year for the past 3 years.

sdwr 3y ago
I've met multiple people this week who recently relocated from Toronto. Rent is expensive everywhere, but it seems like TO is especially bad
- Elyra 3y ago
  Yep, relevant discussion if you haven't seen it https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37446790 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37446790 Here's hoping I get to be one of those people who can relocate from Toronto next.

Acrobatic_Road 3y ago

If you chose to live like someone 100 years ago, you could probably get away with working 3.5 hours/week, or fewer.

Elyra 3y ago
But if you want to live like someone from 30 years ago, you would need to work 100 hours/week. I don't think I'll ever be able to afford a home even half as good as the one I grew up in (in Canada).