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I have been thinking about how “skilled labor” tends to mean companies benefiting from the costs of training/education incurred by workers while offering little in the way of mentorship, apprenticeship, etc https://twitter.com/aspittel/status/1331285407242268676
The job market for high-paid skilled laborers is certainly different than it once was. Tenures or “tours of duty” at organizations tend to be couple-year stints. I’ve experienced this personally as someone working in tech.
Why invest in a worker when they’re likely to jump ship in just another couple quarters? Why invest in a worker when you can poach one from someone else?
It’s a reinforcing cycle. I’m sure folks have done game theory analyses of this.
It’s a reinforcing cycle. I’m sure folks have done game theory analyses of this.
But part of what makes me think about it is seeing videos from @UFWupdates and others demonstrating the immense skill, technique, and mastery that goes into work so often (mis)classified as “unskilled.” https://twitter.com/ufwupdates/status/1331353758035374081
I won’t pretend to know about the hiring practices of farms or the experience of agricultural work, but something that feels significant is that learning to be a speedy agricultural worker seems to be something one is expected to learn on the job.
There’s an explosion of “juniors in tech.” (I’m seeing a similar book in the AI ethics space, too.) There are many, many, MANY people who have developed skills to work in the tech sector, a sector that many consider to be a growing space.
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/mobile/home.htm
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/mobile/home.htm
Tech jobs are tight. But tech salaries remain high. We’ve yet to see what the Bay Area tech diaspora might do, but it looks like companies would still rather try to recruit top talent than to cultivate it. https://www.techrepublic.com/article/us-tech-talent-expects-a-salary-raise-considers-after-covid-19-office-plans-and-possible-moves/
Might many tech jobs become “unskilled” (and then likely contingent) jobs in the future? It certainly seems possible if not likely.
Unfortunately, neither “skilled” nor “unskilled” jobs seem to be trending toward supporting workers in their growth and development. Either training is treated as a prerequisite or work is “deskilled” such that workers beat the burden of training themselves to advance.
This seems like a perfect storm for society as people get caught in the debt trap of pursuing education for “skilled” roles that are either evasive and rare or become plentiful and low-paying as they’re “deskilled” into task work.
