Sir, – Further to "Online auction site eBay to close operation in Dundalk next year" (August 26th), eBay is sending us a very important message. Just as we congratulate ourselves on having more than two million people in employment, eBay spoils the party by giving us a taste of the reality of employment in the 21st century.
Jobs are more insecure and transient than they have ever been because we refuse to acknowledge the reality that modern technology is eliminating dependence on human labour at a truly massive and accelerating pace. We can no longer depend on “work to be done” as satisfactory to fill our employment needs, unless we drastically change our whole thinking on work and jobs. More jobs from less work, or we are in real trouble.
Until now, an enormous amount of work needed to be done by people, creating work for practically everyone, or at least sufficient to sustain society and social order. Not anymore! Automation and robotics are usurping vast amounts of every type of work there is, and the stark reality is that already there is insufficient work to provide adequate employment in the old-fashioned way.
Employment must be recognised in an entirely different way – as far more important for distribution of wealth than its creation. Technology can create more than enough wealth for all but we must have a dignified secure method of spreading it around. Employment coupled with entitlement to a pension or income after retirement is the only realistic method of achieving this end and keeping a lid on unrest and extreme politics.
Shorter hours, longer holidays and earlier retirement without reduction of income or entitlements may appear an impossibility under present employment ideology but it is the only game in town.
Fortunately, technology can produce sufficient wealth to make such a radical change feasible but it means a major rethink of the work/employment relationship.
There is another reason we should begin to rethink employment. Decisions are shortly due on Irish tax for multinationals and although we may initially benefit from an unlikely windfall by having substantial back-tax paid to our exchequer, the days of “lax tax” Ireland are numbered. Mass unemployment is probably the greatest problem to be confronted by Ireland and every state in an evermore technological age. It is time we began to take it seriously and figure out what can be done. – Yours, etc,
PADRAIC NEARY,
Tubbercurry, Co Sligo.