> 1) if it does turn out to be true that we need "fewer workers", that's great, we just move to a 30-hour work week (or 20, or whatever). We once had 6-day work weeks, or sometimes even 7, and it was productivity gains that allowed us to move to 5. We can move again.
Shorten the work week and it is hourly workers getting screwed. Unless we think, for some reason, corporations will take it upon themselves to pay more for less, especially since the labor pool would be more competitive with increases in automation.
I see no reason to think that full time salaries wouldn’t also fall. If the goal is to employ more people, the first solution that will be tried is “at roughly the same total labor expense”. Exempt employees will not be exempt from this pressure on wages.
Shorten the work week and it is hourly workers getting screwed. Unless we think, for some reason, corporations will take it upon themselves to pay more for less, especially since the labor pool would be more competitive with increases in automation.