Even the most ardent supporters of capitalism would have to admit it isn’t a perfect system. Inequality is built into it. In a capitalist system there are naturally going to be winners and losers. Not all winners won fairly, and not all losers lost because they didn’t play well enough.

The clip we chose for this week discusses possible ways capitalism as we know it may end or at least evolve. There are some solid points made in the video. It talks about wealth inequality, a move towards a digital economy, and advances in technology reducing the human labor pool. In the clip they theorize this could spring forth a slightly different type of capitalism. One far different than what we now have. We know not everyone will agree with the assertions found in the clip; we certainly don’t, but we think there are some interesting ideas in it worth sharing. Enjoy.

Yesterday, we published a well researched article on underemployment in Australia and the United States. It’s fascinating how the two countries differ in their acknowledgment of the problem. The United States doesn’t officially track the number of underemployed in their employment data. Australia does, and continues to look for ways to curtail the problems that massive underemployment brings to its country’s citizens.

We’ve been writing articles on underemployment for over a year now. Since that time, we’ve taken notice of how much more engaged our Australian audience is with the issue than our American one. Articles focusing on Australian underemployment like this one, and this one, by Harrison Stamoudis, are our most read and remarked upon. They generate so much feedback we’re looking to hire another Australian writer who wants to tackle the subject. If your interested, write us at contact@theunderemployedlife.com.

Today’s clip is from a few years back, but is still relevant. It’s a short news report on how underemployment has affected Australia. It includes interviews and interesting analyses on an ongoing serious problem. Enjoy.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter on this link, Subscribe here!

Life can be complicated. There are so many things coming at us, all the time, and from all angles. It can be tough to process it all. From a young age we’re inundated with peer pressure, social pressure, parental pressure, and political pressure, etc, to “be” a certain way. It’s hard enough to figure out who you are, and what you want your life to be without having all these metaphorical arrows pointing at your head. Frankly, it can be exhausting.

Despite life’s complications, it’s important to be mindful that you always have choices. Always. The cliché, you can be whatever you want to be, isn’t just about obtaining a job title. It’s also about being the person you want to be. And being “you” is often the bravest choice you can make, especially if it defies conventions. So if you’re feeling pressure to conform or to go along to get along or to make any choices really, remember, it’s your life, make it what you want. We think today’s clip does a great job of encapsulating what we’re trying to articulate.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter on this link, Subscribe here!

There’s a lot of turmoil in the country right now. Large groups of Americans are at odds over seemingly everything. We can’t agree on politics. We can’t agree on the direction of the economy. We can’t agree on social issues. We can’t even agree on what we disagree on. Sigh.

There are good reasons for this divide, but we aren’t going to use this space to get into that hornet’s nest. Instead, we want to take a time out, and remind everyone that we are all just human beings. We are flawed. We are imperfect. We make mistakes. It’s not easy being human.

It takes a lot of courage to open your heart and talk to people you may not agree with; to treat them like fellow human beings, instead of as the “other.” Today’s clip reflects that challenge. We chose The Beatles’ We Can Work It Out, because A, We love The Beatles and will use any excuse to use them in our column, and B, it’s a song that is lyrically more complicated than you might think. Ultimately, we like to think the song is optimistic about people learning to cooperate and put aside their differences. Enjoy the clip.

The gig economy has been blossoming for some time. Uber, Airbnb, petsitters, freelance writers (I think we hire those folks actually), etc. It’s become one of the popular choices of employment for a new generation of workers. We can see the allure. You work when you want for as many hours as you want. Sounds great; but is the gig economy a good thing for the overall job market? Is it good for the workers? Is it good for the economy? 

Essentially, gig economy workers are freelance workers. They independently sign up with an employer and each can decided to separate when it suits them. No two week notice necessary. Just leave. That’s appealing to a generation that values their freedom and views the typical workweek with a side eyed, suspicious glance.

While there’s reason to celebrate a freer life, the gig economy has serious downsides. Workers in the gig economy, have no bargaining power over wages or working conditions. No benefits. No job security. They have nowhere to go to complain if they’re mistreated.   

Who really wins in the gig economy? And make no mistake, there are definitely winners and losers here. Today, we have a clip that features interviews with gig economy workers and a labor organizer. They discuss the pros and cons of being a gig economy worker. It’s a fascinating glimpse at a whole different approach to work.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter on this link, Subscribe here!

Our country seems pretty comfortable screwing over generation after generation of young college students. In fact we seem to prefer it that way. We don’t give financial literacy courses in high school. We don’t discuss economics or what expenses are awaiting new adults when they come of age. No, we just offer a couple of choices. College or no college. No college usually means no debt, but less pay over a lifetime. Choosing college means huge debt, but more pay; yet even that is not guaranteed.

That choice used to be fairly easy to make for most, until about ten or so years ago when the cost of getting any degree skyrocketed, leaving millions with huge amounts of student loan debt. In the past we’ve featured interviews with new graduates talking about the ways their huge student debt adversely affects everything in their lives.

Being able to get married, having kids, buying a house; all delayed or out of reach due to the financial burden of paying back student loans. We’d like to remind some of you out there that student loans are not dischargeable by declaring bankruptcy. There is literally no way out of paying them back, no matter how large or burdensome they are.

Many new graduates have to find jobs quickly so they can start paying off their large monthly payments. This often means losing out on jobs in their chosen field since they can’t afford to wait long to start earning money. That financial pressure pushes student loan debtors into jobs they don’t want, that don’t utilize their skills, and more often than not, don’t pay well. As of a few years ago, half of college graduates were either underemployed or didn’t have any job. As Benjamin Franklin once said.”Well, that’s just fucking great now, isn’t it?”

Today’s clip features a young graduate discussing the burdens of finding work. Because of his monthly student loan payments, his options are limited in what employment he can afford to accept. It’s a sober reminder that the student loan crises is an ongoing issue, turning millions of twenty-somethings into a generation of debtors unable to get their heads above water financially. It’s completely fucked up, and it needs to change. By the way, Ben Franklin did not say that. That was jazz legend, Miles Davis. Enjoy the clip.

We’ve written about the future of jobs a few times in this column. Specifically about technology and its encroachment in the job market. Automation and robots are increasingly taking over jobs previously occupied by humans. That reality increases competition, lowers wages, and creates some possible chaotic scenarios in the near future. After all if there aren’t enough jobs left for people to do, who’s paying for lunch? Not us.

However, we want to shift gears a little, and talk about the benefits of technology in the work place. There are some jobs humans should not be doing. Risky jobs, dangerous jobs, hazardous jobs. Robots are being built and taught to do some of these jobs. We found a clip that shows how robots are being built that can take over jobs that put humans in harm. It’s fascinating, and we hope you enjoy it.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter on this link, Subscribe here!

Few people choose to be poor. Even fewer choose to be working and poor. Yet recent data shows there are over 12 million working Americans living below the poverty line. This is where issues like low minimum wages, lack of well paying jobs, automation of the workplace, and the 1% getting richer as the poor get poorer intersect.

No one should be working 40 hours a week and still have to apply for food stamps. No one. The working poor in America are growing larger, not smaller. To some this may come as no surprise. To those who believe we’ve recovered from the 2008/09 financial meltdown, well, the fire’s still burning folks.

We have a great article tomorrow on the working poor and attitudes they’re often met with by strangers. Today’s clip is a few minutes long, and puts faces to the crises so many poor working American’s face today. You may find yourself wondering, just how great a country are we that there exists such a divide between the poor and rich in our country? A divide that is among the highest in all industrial nations.