{"id":78,"date":"2019-02-02T20:25:44","date_gmt":"2019-02-03T01:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/poverty-journal\/in-print\/volume-25-number-3-spring-2018\/is-there-a-future-for-work\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T11:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T15:06:09","slug":"is-there-a-future-for-work","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/poverty-journal\/in-print\/volume-25-number-3-spring-2018\/is-there-a-future-for-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Is There a Future for Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Technological advances and the global economy have redefined employment relationships. The workplace is constantly being reimagined along with the worker\u2019s place in it. Of course, this is not the first wave of reformulation: Work has been transformed though the industrialization age of the 1800s, to the electrification times of the early 1900s, the computerization or digitalization era beginning in the 1970s, to the current \u201cIndustry 4.0\u201d or \u201csecond machine age.\u201d\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_78_1' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_78_1'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>1<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_78_1' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #1<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_78_1' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_78_1' tabindex='-1'>1<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #1 content: <\/span><em>See generally<\/em> ERIK BRYNJOLFSSON &amp; ANDREW MCAFEE, RACE AGAINST THE MACHINE (2011);\nERIK BRYNJOLFSSON &amp; ANDREW MCAFEE, THE SECOND MACHINE AGE, WORK, PROGRESS, AND\nPROSPERITY IN A TIME OF BRILLIANT TECHNOLOGIES (2014).\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\u00a0This is just the latest wave of advancement that requires reinvention of work and redefined working relationships.<\/p>\n<p>But today, commentators and social scientists are warning that something unique and different is afoot. Information technology and automation permeate most industries, not just a few, giving rise to intelligent self-learning systems, cloud robotics, and deep learning algorithms. However, the unprecedented pace of growth of these technological advancements has resulted in a workforce that simply cannot keep up. A 2013 Oxford University study analyzed 702 occupations and concluded that forty-seven percent of all U.S. jobs are at a high risk of being displaced by technological advances in the next decade or two.\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_78_2' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_78_2'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>2<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_78_2' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #2<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_78_2' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_78_2' tabindex='-1'>2<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #2 content: <\/span><em>Id<\/em>.; <em>see also<\/em> CARL BENEDIKT FREY &amp; MICHAEL OSBORNE, THE FUTURE OF EMPLOYMENT: HOW SUSCEPTIBLE\nARE JOBS TO COMPUTERISATION 44 (2013); COMM. ON FOUNDATIONAL BEST PRACTICES FOR MAKING VALUE FOR\nAM., NAT\u2019L ACAD. OF ENG\u2019G, MAKING VALUE FOR AMERICA: EMBRACING THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING, TECHNOLOGY, AND WORK 44 (Nicholas M. Donofrio &amp; Kate S. Whitefoot, 2015).\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t Similarly, a 2015 McKinsey Report found that forty-five percent of work activity tasks are currently capable of being automated.\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_78_3' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_78_3'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>3<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_78_3' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #3<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_78_3' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_78_3' tabindex='-1'>3<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #3 content: <\/span>Michael Chui et al., <em>Four Fundamentals of Workplace Automation<\/em>, MCKINSEY Q. (Nov. 2015), http:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/business-functions\/business-technology\/our-insights\/four-fundamentals-of-workplace-automation.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t<sup>\u00a0<\/sup>An analysis of the revenues and profits of 100 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. from 2001 to 2013 found that while revenues and profits rose considerably during that time period, employee head-count growth lagged far behind.\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_78_4' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_78_4'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>4<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_78_4' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #4<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_78_4' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_78_4' tabindex='-1'>4<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #4 content: <\/span>Howard Schneider, <em>For Largest U.S. Companies, Jobs Growth Has Lagged Profits, Revenues<\/em>, REUTERS (Aug. 11, 2014), http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-usa-economy-employment-insight-idUSKB N0GB0NF20140811. \n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t MIT Professors Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee call this the \u201cGreat Decoupling,\u201d the current era of increasing economic abundance and concurrent deterioration of income and job prospects.\n\t\t<span class='js-footnote footnote'>\n\t\t\t<button type='button' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_78_5' class='footnote_inline_btn js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-describedby='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_78_5'>\n\t\t\t\t<sup class='footnote_inline_btn_number'>5<\/sup>\n\t\t\t\t<span id='footnote_btn_text_abstract_footnote_78_5' class='visually_hide'>Open footnote #5<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t<cite id='abstract_footnote_78_5' class='footnote_content_cite js-footnote-content'>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_content_number js-footnote-toggle-btn' aria-controls='abstract_footnote_78_5' tabindex='-1'>5<\/button>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content_wrap_inner'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_content'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='visually_hide'>Footnote #5 content: <\/span>Amy Bernstein &amp; Anand Raman, <em>The Great Decoupling: An Interview with Brynjolfsson and McAfee<\/em>, H<del>ARV<\/del>. B<del>US<\/del>. R<del>EV<\/del>. (June 2015), https:\/\/hbr.org\/2015\/06\/the-great-decoupling.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='footnote_close_btn_wrap'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button type='button' class='footnote_close_btn js-footnote-close-btn' aria-label='Back to content'>close<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\u00a0This Article addresses the ramifications of this age of automation on the most vulnerable of workers, and while analysis of comprehensive solutions are beyond the scope of this Article, we suggest strategies that may save us from further erosion of productive work and provide a decent economic future for the poorest of workers.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/poverty-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2019\/02\/25-3-Is-There-A-Future-For-Work.pdf\">Keep Reading Is There A Future For Work?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Technological advances and the global economy have redefined employment relationships. The workplace is constantly being reimagined along with the worker\u2019s place in it. Of course, this is not the first wave of reformulation: Work has been transformed though the industrialization age of the 1800s, to the electrification times of the early 1900s, the computerization or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128,"featured_media":0,"parent":68,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"abstract.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-78","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/poverty-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/poverty-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/poverty-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/poverty-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/128"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/poverty-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/poverty-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2216,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/poverty-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/78\/revisions\/2216"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/poverty-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/68"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.law.georgetown.edu\/poverty-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}