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Why are there no jobs programs anymore? (lemmy.zip)
submitted 2 days ago by to c/economics@lemmy.world
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Throughout history there are lots of examples where the government has guaranteed a job for anyone willing to work, who wasn't able to get employment through the normal market based channels.

That disappeared and is never even considered as an option, why not?

In this article there are about 1M NEETs in the UK, which costs about £125bn to maintain.

The market hasn't found a way to provide profitable employment for them, but wouldn't it still be better for a government to provide jobs with a 1:1 or 0.8:1 return to costs ratio, compared to leaving them unemployed? Or jobs with intangible benefits like social care or cleaning streets etc etc.

It seems like there is a big benefit from just creating and offering jobs to anyone that wants to work, why is it never considered?

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[–] 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Depends what you mean. I did a quick check and found that the UK has various programs that help disabled people find or keep jobs. I guess that many NEETs would qualify for such programs on account of psychological conditions.

If you are talking about recipients of benefits, the UK does have workfare programs.. (No more Roads to Nowhere, at least.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workfare_in_the_United_Kingdom

If you are asking why people are allowed to live off their savings rather than being made to work, then that's because forced labor is generally considered a human rights violation.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 day ago (1 child)

    Ok it is a fair comparison, especially when compared to historical examples where the jobs program was an alternative to poverty. Here I'm talking about a program that is separate from welfare, it is voluntary, where the person chooses they want a job and the government provides it.

    I had some more of a look and there is a good page about it here- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_guarantee . There are proposed programs but they aren't generally implemented at the moment

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  • [–] 1 point 23 hours ago

    There's one thing about such a provided job that must be clear. It is the worst job in the whole economy. If you thought your job was worse, you could quit and take that guaranteed job instead. Either that guaranteed job is sub-minimum wage or more grueling than free jobs.

    I’m talking about a program that is separate from welfare, it is voluntary, where the person chooses they want a job and the government provides it.

    I doubt such a thing is politically sustainable. That is, paying welfare to people who chose not to accept a job being offered. Something to think about in connection with the above.

    The wiki article notes that the 1936 constitution of the Soviet Union had a job guarantee. It also had this (in a rather more prominent place):

    ARTICLE 12. In the U.S.S.R. work is a duty and a matter of honor for every able-bodied citizen, in accordance with the principle: "He who does not work, neither shall he eat."

    The principle applied in the U.S.S.R. is that of socialism: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his work."

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