Employment

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• 4/10/2022
  

  After His Bequest to Boost the Laboring Class, Ben Franklin Would be Shocked by Today's "Innovation" Economy

  by Michael Meyer

  Shortly before his death, Benjamin Franklin placed a bet on American workers, endowing a fund to lend money to the tradesmen he thought essential to the country's health. His bequest remains in play today, though America has parted ways from his vision. 

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• SOURCE: Vox
  8/24/2021
  

  How the "Job" Became the Center of American Life

  "Since about the 1940s, Americans have been encouraged to look to their jobs for nearly all of life’s necessities: a living wage, health insurance, and retirement benefits, as well as intangibles like friendship, identity, and a sense of purpose." Historians Nelson Lichtenstein and James Livingston explain why. 

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• SOURCE: New York Times
  4/10/2020
  

  Could the Pandemic Wind Up Fixing What’s Broken About Work in America?

  “Pandemics as a social shock do give workers more leverage to demand things,” said Patrick Wyman, a historian and host of the Tides of History podcast. 

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• SOURCE: The New York Times
  3/6/2020
  

  The Bleak Job Landscape of Adjunctopia for Ph.D.s

  Ruthless labor exploitation? Generational betrayal? Understanding the job crisis in academia requires a look at recent history.

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• SOURCE: NYT
  8-18-18
  

  It’s Not Technology That’s Disrupting Our Jobs

  by Louis Hyman

  The insecure nature of work is a result of decisions by corporations and policymakers.

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• SOURCE: Politico
  1/9/18
  

  The Future of Work, a History

  by Kevin Baker

  America has a long, complicated track record of dreading that robots would take our jobs.

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• SOURCE: The Brookings Institution
  3-15-16
  

  Voter anger explained—in one chart

  Take a look at this single, stark chart depicting the 35-year history of U.S. employment in manufacturing industries.