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Commenters aren't realizing you can create jobs without hiring people. Uber has created many jobs. Airbnb too.

AndrewKemendo 12y ago
Created or moved? I would argue that the Uber/AirBnB jobs have just taken market share from existing jobs. That's not to criticize or make it less worthwhile, I just don't think that is the intention of the RFS - though its brevity leaves it quite open.
- forrestthewoods 12y ago
  Uber has definitely created. Typically speaking there's a hard cap on the number of taxi drivers. For example Seattle hasn't issued a new taxi license since 1990 [1]. That's insane! The area has grown dramatically in that time. That said there is some amount that are moved rather than created. It's definitely something that should be considered. [1] http://www.change.org/petitions/seattle-city-council-break-the-taxi-monopoly-and-level-the-playing-field http://www.change.org/petitions/seattle-city-council-break-t...
motyar 12y ago
Great "Jobs can be created without hiring people"
Shivetya 12y ago
so no limits of quality of the job, number of hours per week to qualify, or such? Such requirements are service oriented at best, if not then off shore for others. to give a sense of scale, Wal Mart has 1.4 million or so workers in the US. You cited taxi type services, but would not work at home call center work be similar? The in home medical care many receive qualifies, are there are other in home opportunities out there? Education perhaps, remote teaching and the like? Honestly this "one million" number just comes off as a feel good statement, it reminds me of politician speak way way too much
jiggy2011 12y ago
But how many of those jobs are job transfers, someone moving from a normal taxi firm to uber doesn't create a job in that sense. The two ways to solve this problem would be to find a fundamentally new task that humans have never done before or to find a task that only some humans can currently do and make it do-able by many more people.
r00fus 12y ago
So job creation by cleverly bypassing regulations and agreements is considered desirable? Perhaps so. In the case where taxi medallions are in far shorter supply than what is actually required, but there is a negative externality - increased congestion and pollution, which is essentially what the medallions were created to control. Likewise with AirBnB - while it would allow me to rent out a room or my house, those who own a condo or rent an apartment are likely breaching an agreement they never really read. Assuming the guests are polite (i.e. not noisy and not arriving at odd hours) the externalities are controllable, but the backlash against your neighbors running a hoteling service is quite understandable.
- jiggy2011 12y ago
  Rather than controlling medallions would it not make more sense to charge a per-mile tax on anyone carrying passengers for a fee (including uber)? Make that tax roughly equal to the bus fare for the same trip and then use that money to subsidise bus fares.

Created or moved? I would argue that the Uber/AirBnB jobs have just taken market share from existing jobs. That's not to criticize or make it less worthwhile, I just don't think that is the intention of the RFS - though its brevity leaves it quite open.

forrestthewoods 12y ago
Uber has definitely created. Typically speaking there's a hard cap on the number of taxi drivers. For example Seattle hasn't issued a new taxi license since 1990 [1]. That's insane! The area has grown dramatically in that time. That said there is some amount that are moved rather than created. It's definitely something that should be considered. [1] http://www.change.org/petitions/seattle-city-council-break-the-taxi-monopoly-and-level-the-playing-field http://www.change.org/petitions/seattle-city-council-break-t...

motyar 12y ago

Great "Jobs can be created without hiring people"

Shivetya 12y ago

so no limits of quality of the job, number of hours per week to qualify, or such? Such requirements are service oriented at best, if not then off shore for others. to give a sense of scale, Wal Mart has 1.4 million or so workers in the US. You cited taxi type services, but would not work at home call center work be similar? The in home medical care many receive qualifies, are there are other in home opportunities out there? Education perhaps, remote teaching and the like? Honestly this "one million" number just comes off as a feel good statement, it reminds me of politician speak way way too much

jiggy2011 12y ago

But how many of those jobs are job transfers, someone moving from a normal taxi firm to uber doesn't create a job in that sense. The two ways to solve this problem would be to find a fundamentally new task that humans have never done before or to find a task that only some humans can currently do and make it do-able by many more people.

r00fus 12y ago

So job creation by cleverly bypassing regulations and agreements is considered desirable? Perhaps so. In the case where taxi medallions are in far shorter supply than what is actually required, but there is a negative externality - increased congestion and pollution, which is essentially what the medallions were created to control. Likewise with AirBnB - while it would allow me to rent out a room or my house, those who own a condo or rent an apartment are likely breaching an agreement they never really read. Assuming the guests are polite (i.e. not noisy and not arriving at odd hours) the externalities are controllable, but the backlash against your neighbors running a hoteling service is quite understandable.

jiggy2011 12y ago
Rather than controlling medallions would it not make more sense to charge a per-mile tax on anyone carrying passengers for a fee (including uber)? Make that tax roughly equal to the bus fare for the same trip and then use that money to subsidise bus fares.