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The simpler the society, the easier it is to see a close relationship between a man´s work and his needs and wants. If a man tills the soil or works as a hunter, then he and his family will consume the produce of the land or wear the skins of animals killed in hunting expeditions. It is very easy to see that he works to provide his family with satisfactions.
In a modern industrial society the relationship between work and need or want is not so obvious. Money is essential so that people can satisfy their needs and wants. A clerk cannot be paid in ledger sheets nor can a policeman be allowed to keep the criminals that he catches as slaves. So money is used as a medium of exchange and as a unit of account by which the value of all worker and wants are measured. Unfortunaly money sometimes acts as a veil which hides the relationship between the reason why a man works and the wants that he is working to satisfy, but the relationship exists even though it may not be apparent to the worker. Where a person is not working for money it is usually easier to see why he works. If a man digs his own vegetable garden he is working to produce vegetables to satisfy needs. If a young lady makes a dress she is working to provide herself with an article which will give satisfaction. Even a person indulges in hobby money he is still working to provide satisfaction. There are two main reasons why man will always have to work to satisfy his desires:
1. The goods that he makes will be used up. For example a cigarette is made to be smoked and as soon as a new car is driven the tyres and other components will begin to wear.
2. Man´s wants can never be satisfied. It is true that `keeping up with the Joneses`makes man chase his own tail; he becomes involved in a consumer orientated society with brings higher living standards but not neccessarily a greater degree of happines. This constant endeavour of man to improve his lot should not necessarily be viewed with disparagement, because it is a motivation which raises man above the higher animals.
There are four main reasons why peolple like to work.
Money
Some people only work for their money to live. They would stop working if they could afford to.
Job satisfaction
Others enjoy their work. They love their jobs, even if it is not as well payed as some ohter work they would get.
Status
These people work because they are expected to from the society. These man would prefer not to work, but they want to have a status.
A sence of porpose
Work gives such people a sence of porpose to their life.
What kind of work do people do?
In most richer countries of the North, much more of the poulation works in industry and services than in agriculture. In most poorer countries of the South, much more of the population works in agriculture than in industry and services.
In the North, about 80% of the labour force is paid in wage. In the South, over 60% of the labour force is self-employed. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that over 1/3 of the labour force in the South is `unemployed` - unable to earn a real living from the work (seasonal, temporary, or otherwise informal) that they can get.
Is housework work?
In the past, many richer families used to employ cooks and maids to do their housework for them. In other families, the woman was expected to stay at home and `work` as a housewife. Today, although some wemen (or sometimes men) stay at home. Mostly for their children, but if the children are grown up the housewifes don´t get a job, because they are too old. Moreover they do not want to work in a company, so they are still at home and live from their partner. Such people have got a very easy life, because a working man has to work in a company and in the household.
What are the causes of unemployment?
Perhaps the major cause of high levels of unemployment in the developed industrial countries of the Western World has been the decline in demand for manufactured goods in both the domestic and international markets - the world recession. Other factors have, however, played a part in creating the problem.
To begin with, nearly all western industrialized countries face an increase in the working population due to a change in the age structure of total population: more women in work.
Further unemployment has arisen because manufactors in Western countries have been unable to compete with lower priced imports from such countries as Japan, Hong Kong, Singapure and Taiwan who employ `cheap labour`. In addition, an increasing amount of investment has not been put into new products, which could increase employement, but into new production process which often increase productivity through the more efficent use of manpower and machinery and the introduction of technological innovations - all of which can result in unemployment.
How technological change cause job losses.
- The introduction of automated manufacturing systems, the use of robots and computer-controlled machines, means that fewer workers are needed.
- The development of microprocessors and other microelectronic components means that machines are made from fewer parts. So fewer worker are needed to make, assemble, store and transport the machines.
- The use of computers to store, process and transmit information has changed the nature of office work. For example, clerical jobs, such as indexing and filing can now be done by computers. So fewer clerical staff are needed.
Unemployment is worldwide problem. All countries are troubles by rising unemployment. In the South the number for jobs have to be provided are much greater than in the North, and resources for investment much more modes. In the poorer countries of the world, rates of unemployment and underemployment may sometimes be as high as 40%. It is not just unskilled workers who cannot find jobs. In India, for example, there are a growing number of university graduates who cannot find work.
During the 1950s and 1960s, uneployment was at a much lower level than it is today. To large extent, there was full emloyment, the only people who were unemployable and those who were process of changing jobs.
Unlike today, when manufacturing industries are contracting or closing down, there were plenty of jobs in factories producing goods for both, the home and overseas markets. It is tempting, therefore to lookback on those years `the good ols days`. Yet, many of the people who worked in the factories hated their jobs. The work was dull, repetive and boring. The factories themselves were often dark, noisy and dirty. There were no real job prospects. The only thing to look forward to was to your pay packet at the end of the week and a pay rise and an improvement in the conditions whenever the union could negotiate a new deal.
It is time to change our attitudes - We have got work on the brain.
It seems that modern industrial society everbody needs and wants work. The odd fact is that the majority of people appear to neither enjoy their work, nor do they enjoy travelling to and from it. Why then do we work? The truth is that modern society has has got `work on the brain`. Nowdays, we do not only work for our social and psychological survival.
Generations of young people pass through education system with the overall aim of preparing for working life. This aim is reinforced by parents, friends and relatives. When people complete their education and find themselves without a job, they are not only unable to live up to their own expectations but also those of their friends and people they do not even know. Unemployment makes people feel they are not needed for society. Perhaps we should ask ourselves- do we live to work or work to live?
The new technology and the prospects of never returning to full employment as we have known it has led some people to suggest that we needed to re-think our attitudes towards work- we need in fact to re-define work.
Work in our society is mostly defined as paid employment. To re-define work we would need to broaden ist meaning and include alternatives to paid employment. Such as change in attitudes towards work would bring with it a change in livestyle. There would be opportunities to move in and out of paid employment, do a mixture of paid work, unpaid work and leisure, and take part in fairer sharing out of paid work together with a diverent allocation of responsibilities in the home.
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