In the last centuries we have built a deep divide between work and the rest of our life. We get a job, we make money and that is what we do. Work dominates life totally for most of us. Work is also becoming increasingly boring for most of us – we are just tools in a well designed system where costs must be kept down. And as company size and efficiency grows the boredom increases, and there is less and less need for manpower, that is you and me.
The idea of self employment has largely disappeared as this is deemed unsafe, tough, difficult. The idea of small scale business is slowly disappearing, we shall soon all work for the mighty global corporations. Some of them now have several million employees. You are just an ant in the system, and they do all they can to get rid of you so that costs are kept low.
Large scale joblessness is looming, especially youth unemployment, and especially people with no skills or newly educated people with no experience. Youth unemployment in many countries is high long term. We all wait for the politicians to do something.
The need to change is obvious, and the solution is obvious. We must go back to basics, become self employed, or start small companies with some few people. This was how it was done long ago, it worked well and it will work well again. The starting point is the need for work in your own town, place, community, that is the local needs.
There are in fact many opportunities. A new area is coming up in the culture sector where many countries have shown a remarkable increase in the number of one man companies. These are mostly strong, creative persons working in their local communities, artists and support functions creating a new arena for work and making the money we all need.
Historically there were lots of small companies that needed a new hand or more, that could give you an apprenticeship, teach you a trade.. This is no longer so as huge factories are the norm, chains, big corporations run everything. As efficiency and systems thinking develop relatively speaking less and less manpower is needed. Fundamental uncertainty about the future is the result.
But there is renewed and increasing interest in the crafts and trades, small scale production, handicrafts for local users, small scale agriculture and fisheries, new products, innovative products.
Sucking up to big companies doing slave like work is not the way out of joblessness. We must all do it ourselves. Making shoes for people as they want them, be a tailor with a small collection maybe, build 4 boats a year, start a blacksmiths shop, be a carpenter, a gardener, do some software that the locals need…Surely somebody needs you where you live.
The jobs of the future are clearly there, but the overly dependence upon big greedy investors for everything must go. The result is large scale dehumanising, we become non creative servants and the result is massive joblessness, destruction of local communities, unhappy people moving about. The social consequences of what we now do is emerging, and large scale work, large scale production must be reduced. Money must be more evenly distributed so that people can finance their own – with some help from friends – businesses, money concentrations are not good for society.
So try to create your own little safe job based on local needs, be creative, live reasonably well and be happy, take part in the activities of your local community, have time for some interesting hobbies. The future is self employment or small scale employment in a place of your own choice. It is a bit back to basics as you will be working in a small company in your local community producing what your local customers need. That story is also about us and how we can shape our own lives.
The solution therefore is to go personal, take charge yourself, go local, go small scale, to do your own jobmaking. Build independence and do not wait for others as it is all your own thing. It sure is hard, but you may be well rewarded.