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A lot of ‘unskilled’ workers actually are not
The rise of AI and America’s transition to a service economy require us to rethink our views about what kinds of jobs matter.
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The market may determine the price of labour, but it does not define the dignity or value of that labour, says the writer.
PHOTO: AFP
Betsey Stevenson
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Labour Day, which falls on the first Monday in September in the US, is an appropriate moment to consider the term “unskilled”. Economists have used it for as long as I can remember, and at some point, I became numb to it, thinking it was just a neutral classification. But it’s not neutral – it’s demeaning and misleading.
Often people have incredible skills; they just aren’t skills currently in high demand. Or they have valuable skills that are abundant relative to demand. Or they simply can’t find a good match between their skills and the market because of where and when they live.
