The Future of Work, Technology, and Basic Income

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Diamantino Ribeiro ◽  
António Pedro Costa ◽  
João Filipe Ribeiro

The economic and social debate has been intensifying globally as a result of concerns about the increase in poverty in the world and the progressive separation between rich and poor. There is an urgent need to find ways and alternatives that can be tested and put into practice. This is an exploratory study on the perception of the Portuguese regarding Unconditional Basic Income or Universal Basic Income (UBI). UBI has defenders and opponents, both parties with convincing arguments about its practical applicability, however, conclusions cannot be reached without experience in the field and convincing results. Likewise, the idea should not be abandoned without understanding its real applicability, as its success could be important for the future development of the world. Studies on the UBI are still in their infancy. Therefore, Portugal’s contribution to the enrichment of knowledge within the topics of “the future of work” and “work of the future” and, more specifically, about UBI, is seen as urgent. In this context, we prepared and analysed a survey, having obtained 273 valid responses. The results of the qualitative analysis on which this study focuses allow us to infer that there are still many flaws in the management and leadership of human resources and, among other aspects, that, in general, the respondents would prefer to work even though they might eventually receive a UBI.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edvard P.G. Bruun ◽  
Alban Duka

Abstract Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering our daily lives in the form of driverless cars, automated online assistants and virtual reality experiences. In so doing, AI has already substituted human employment in areas that were previously thought to be uncomputerizable. Based on current trends, the technological displacement of labor is predicted to be significant in the future – if left unchecked this will lead to catastrophic societal unemployment levels. This paper presents a means to mitigate future technological unemployment through the introduction of a Basic Income scheme, accompanied by reforms in school curricula and retraining programs. Our proposal argues that such a scheme can be funded by a special tax on those industries that make use of robotic labour; it includes a practical roadmap that would see a government take this proposal from the conceptual phase and implement it nationwide in the span of one decade.


Author(s):  
Mahesh K. Joshi ◽  
J.R. Klein

The world of work has been impacted by technology. Work is different than it was in the past due to digital innovation. Labor market opportunities are becoming polarized between high-end and low-end skilled jobs. Migration and its effects on employment have become a sensitive political issue. From Buffalo to Beijing public debates are raging about the future of work. Developments like artificial intelligence and machine intelligence are contributing to productivity, efficiency, safety, and convenience but are also having an impact on jobs, skills, wages, and the nature of work. The “undiscovered country” of the workplace today is the combination of the changing landscape of work itself and the availability of ill-fitting tools, platforms, and knowledge to train for the requirements, skills, and structure of this new age.


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