The future of work through the lens of Uber looks a lot like the past
“There are many who think the structure of work is rapidly changing. The ‘gig economy,’ they argue, is replacing the old economy; robots and artificial intelligence are displacing workers faster than ever. ‘The Future of Work’ has become an angst-prone staple at conferences across the globe. It’s always possible that this time is different, and, in fact, some notable differences are in play. But after reading a new paper by the Economic Policy Institute’s Larry Mishel on the economics of labor at Uber, I’m convinced that the new thinking needs a rethink. The challenges facing the future of work are, in fact, steep, but they’re largely the same ones facing the present (and the past): Too many workers have too little bargaining clout, and they are exploited in jobs that lack a robust set of labor protections. In other words, this is neither a technology problem nor an evolution-of-work problem. It’s a political problem — one that could be solved by supportive policy.”