gig economy
I took a break from blogging last week. Since I last wrote, two weeks ago, a serious health problem in some countries has become pandemic. It’s the main news item everywhere; critical to the health of millions today; an existential fear for more; utterly disruptive to social relationships, economies and livelihoods in more and more countries. Yesterday I heard a reporter say “the hashtag #staytathome is going viral” – without realising what he said. This time, “going viral” is for...
One of the most important underlying issues of the digital revolution that’s now underway is: what will happen to the jobs? Artificial intelligence, robotics and automated decision-making, it is clear, will displace a lot of jobs – professional as well as manual. It’s cheaper and more efficient for very many tasks than using humans. Robots and algorithms don’t fall sick, seek pensions or threaten strike action. They’re getting better all the time. Five questions arise: How many jo...
The 25th annual LaborFest, established in 1994 to institutionalise the history and culture of working people in an annual labour cultural, film and arts festival, is taking place 1-31 July in San Francisco, USA. The theme of this year's event is “Surviving the Billionaire Robot Assault in the 21st Century”, and APC member organisation LaborNet is linking up the use of technology and communi...
