The New Global Economy = Work For Free ???

There are strong indications that the value of labor in the new global economy is approaching zero. Here are a few of them.

(1) Greece

Centre of planning and Economic Research in Greece has proposed a controversial measure in order to deal with the problem of increasing unemployment in the country. The measure includes unpaid work for the young and unemployed up to 24 years old, so that companies would have a strong motive to hire young employees. Practically, what is proposed is the abolition of the basic salary for a year.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/poloz-having-something-unpaid-on-your-cv-is-very-worth-it/article21439305/

(2) Canada

Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz has sparked controversy by suggesting young people ought to consider unpaid work as a way to gain job experience.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/poloz-having-something-unpaid-on-your-cv-is-very-worth-it/article21439305/

(3) United States

Mark Cuban wants people who will work for free.

Donatella Versace and Mark Cuban are the most outspoken advocates for it, but there’s a new trend going on in America: large companies wanting people to work for free.

Actually, Versace wants you to pay her.

There has been a rise recently in the amount of unpaid internships in America, with desperate job seekers willing to do anything to get hired. Some companies have even come under fire by the US Department of Labor for offering unpaid internships, saying they violate the law.

Versace took it further than anyone, actually asking $20,000 for the right to be her intern (in fairness, she said she’d donate the money to charity).

Cuban has spoken out against the US Department of Labor’s crackdown on unpaid internships, arguing that if people want to work for free, they should be able to. On his blog, he laid out a project he wanted unpaid and eager people to do for him in 2009, until his HR team told him it wasn’t allowed.

https://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/mark-cuban-wrong-paid-172936643.html

The issue will really come to a head when robots are able to do all the jobs that humans perform today. At that point, the value of human labor really will go to zero.

What then for the 8 to 10 billion useless human eaters inhabiting this planet? We're not all going to  be robot technicians, and there won't be a ferry boat to take us to Mars or anywhere else.