Do people need to work harder for less- so the boss can fire a few more as productivity rises?
Every industry in every country does it-
especially stressed ones like agriculture-
the harder they work- the more productive they are- The fewer you hire-
Is there any way workers can stop this process?
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Productivity increases primarily as technology is applied to processes involved in industry, which in turn leads to lower prices for the consumer. Though a factor, working 'harder' is anything but that in reality. As productivity increased in agriculture due to machinery coming into existence, it replaced workers in the field, who before that did much harder labor in various weather conditions. Industrial production of tractors and implements they employed (yes, replacing workers) resulted in a growing manufacturing base, which in due course employed even more people at higher wages. This afforded the former field laborer the means to purchase vehicles of their own, increasing the industrial base and producing even more jobs. It also availed to the commoner the luxury of connecting to service industries once exclusive to the 'rich', such as restaurants and the like. They could also purchase appliances, which became cheaper on account of the same dynamics outlined above. This resulted in far less overall labor being invested into the day-to-day activities involved in maintaining a home, as well as far less time and labor being involved in earning a living. There are innumerable benefits to increased productivity, and while there is an expense in terms of job loss initially, in due time those jobs are created in other areas. Who would honestly trade a job operating a computer eight hours a day for the dreamy days of old; laboring twelve or more hours a day under the hot sun planting, weeding, and cultivating fields?
Only through Unionizing.If a company can work one person in a job that should take three, they have no incentive to change that because that increases their profit. The worker who is performing at this level is probably working themselves into a early grave.
As someone who does work hard I saw my company get rid of a lot of dead weight when the recession hit. I am now doing the job that 3 people used to do, but I also got a big raise out of it and if those people had been hard workers they would have survived the cut.
No.