Post-labor economics is an emerging economic framework that explores a society where artificial intelligence and automation decouple human labor from economic output.
Core Concepts
- The Great Decoupling: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and productivity continue to rise while human wage employment permanently shrinks.
- Economic Agency Paradox: Automation lowers business costs, but widespread job loss threatens consumer purchasing power because people lack wages to buy goods.
- From Labor to Capital: Instead of relying on traditional wages, household income shifts toward property, dividends, asset ownership, and transfers.
Proposed Solutions and Models
- Investment-Based Future: Proponents like David Shapiro outline in A Post-Labor Economics Manifesto that turning citizens into investors or owners prevents over-reliance on government handouts.
- Alternative Income Streams: Strategies include automated dividends from underused assets, community investment trusts, and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).
- Universal Basic Income (UBI): Near-term proposals involve regular cash transfers to maintain a baseline safety net and consumer spending.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/17h7urk/post_labor_economies/
https://daveshap.substack.com/p/a-post-labor-economics-manifesto
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2wVlcG8mfi4&vl=en-US&t=5