Technology and automation has led to much greater efficiencies and output for every human in the workforce over the last 50 years. How come this hasn’t led globally to less working hours or a shorter work week for the average worker?

Question

EDIT: Replace ‘every human in the workforce’ with ‘most people’. I agree efficiency has not been gained equally across all professions.

In: Economics

Answer 1

Corporate greed. It is in their best interest to have a consumer population that relies on convenience. People that are overworked (40 hours a week, plus travel, meals, home maintenance, etc) pay for fast food and easy make meals. They buy cars so they don’t have to use their precious limited leisure time waiting for public transportation. They pay for cable and streaming services and video games. They need specialists to do their taxes and home projects because they don’t have time to learn how to do it themselves. _And_ if everybody is overworked, pressed for time _AND_ short on cash, they won’t notice/care/have time for the _big_ problems, freeing up big business to buy governments, destroy the planet and abuse their workers.

_Every_ time in the history of capitalist labor that someone has suggested that laborers should be safer/better compensated/have more rights, businesses have pushed back, whining about menial cuts to their profits like Dudley whining about getting 36 presents when last year he got 37.

8 hour workday?? We’ll go out of business!

OSHA regulations? We’ll go out of business!

No more child labor?? We’ll go out of business!

Maternity/paternity leave? Health insurance? Minimum wage? Environmental protections? Weekends?

It never ends.