Hedge by Nicolas Colin

Author:Nicolas Colin [Colin, Nicolas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Family Stories
Published: 2018-07-02T04:00:00+00:00

The problem with proximity services

There are multiple reasons why most people find it so difficult to switch from one working class to the other. A frequent argument is that skills are different in the two worlds, so people have to train for the new jobs  and learn how to become better at performing the non-routine tasks that dominate work in the urban economy (essentially, learning to be better and more caring service providers[363]). And whatever their skills, older workers find it difficult to enter a new economy: it’s a different culture, and starting at the bottom means a loss of revenue[364]. This is all a challenge on the front of workforce development—one that is currently better tackled in a country such as Germany, with vocational training in the education system, than in the other countries such as the US and France where execution of such training is poor and funding is inadequate[365].

What’s more, the new jobs for less educated workers are found more in large cities than in suburban areas. They come with harder work, long hours, seasonal hiring, off-peak hours, long commutes, and a lack of recognition. It's not that workers from legacy industries are lazy. But there's a mismatch in expectations: most simply don't see themselves doing such jobs. They prefer to stay far away from large cities as they dread harsher conditions in terms of wages, hours, housing, and transportation[366]. Why jump into the new economy if jobs there lack social recognition, strong unions, decent wages, and social benefits?

None of this even addresses the stigma for male workers that comes with entering a traditionally female-dominated field[367]. Most have not been trained, culturally speaking, for jobs that are less about making things and more about caring for people. Would a coal worker from West Virginia switch to elderly care in Pittsburgh or Washington, DC? For someone with a previous career on an assembly line or behind a desk, becoming a nurse, a child carer or even a delivery person simply doesn’t match their representation of what work is about.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.