Essay Example on Prosperity: Job-Based Employment and Its Role in Economy Growth

A prosperous economy denotes an increase in demand for consumer goods, which brings about investment in labor and capital to cater to the rising demand. Investments in labor by businesses indicate a functional employment status that will enable the economy to thrive further as the living standards of the workers rise. Job-based employment, which involves companies employing people for particular jobs indefinitely at a standard wage, has been the norm that has run economies worldwide since ages ago, and it has given human beings a sense of security. Such a mode of employment usually comes with numerous benefits that the employers award their workers in appreciation for work done and to act as a motivation for more work anticipated. Although economies have been job-based for a long time and they seem to have been doing well, they have been overwhelmed by the increased dissatisfaction of workers in the work timing and work-life balance. The two disadvantages of the job-based economy, i.e., lack of work-life balance and a monotonous 8 hours on the job, are among the top reasons why the world is witnessing a shift from a job-based economy to a task-based economy. There is freedom in a task-based economy as workers reserve the autonomy on tasks given, the number of employers to work for, and wages. Anything involving the human being brings about the question of morality based on what the society deems right or wrong, employment included. Both models can either be ethical or unethical, depending on their practices concerning human capital. A task-based economy is unethical despite its numerous advantages over the job-based economy because it devalues human beings.

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The economy, be it job-based or task-based, is in alignment with society's needs, values, and norms. The human component of businesses is the most crucial due to the ability to direct all other assets into achieving set goals. The traditional model takes into account the significance of human capital, and that is why it involves the use of incentives apart from the necessary wages to keep employees motivated. Motivation not only improves the performance of the employees but also signifies human value. Incentives such as medical cover, retirement benefits as per the society are ethical practices because they show that the employer values and cares about the well-being of his or her employees even beyond the working relationship. The task-based model in society's opinion could be unethical because it disregards such incentives considered ideal to appreciate the human capital. Before the discussion of why the task-oriented model is unethical despite being more advantageous than the traditional model, it is essential to understand it first.

We are living in an era where people are more time conscious, and priorities have changed. People want to have fun while working and desire to spend more time loved ones rather than working. The regular eight working hours are no longer attractive to the current labor force. The Ai group workforce development states that "whatever the motivation for freelancing is, it is indisputable that this mode of work is rapidly growing alongside the emergence of digital freelance marketplaces" (4). The internet is a critical player in the acceleration of the task-oriented model, for it provides employment opportunities for people seeking work. The internet has also made it easy for employers to access workers they need for specific skills at a particular time frame. According to Donovan et al., advancement in technology and smartphone proliferation are providing consumers with new avenues of accessing the marketplace. As a result of this scenario, companies are on-demand actively involving themselves in the gig economy, which is described as a market collection where there is matching of consumers to service providers on a job or gig orientation (1).

Work flexibility is the core of the task-based model, attracting a large number of workers from the labor market who would otherwise be in a tough position working a regular job. Mothers, students, and some business owners can easily find tasks to perform on online job websites. The internet does not only provide a market place for jobs that can be done remotely via a computer but also technical jobs. The online platforms can also be used as a medium of relaying information on available professional roles, which makes it easier for technical workers since they do not have to deal with administrative work. The task-based model is not only beneficial for workers seeking autonomy and the perfect work-life balance but also profitable for employers who only need to pay workers for work done. Workers can also work for multiple employers and earn more money than they would if they were employed. Employers can now easily evade the payment of employees for work not done, for instance, during periods where work is in low supply; employers do not have to incur expenses for the waiting period. It is a straight forward model, where if action is not available, employers do not need to pay employees as they wait for jobs to surface. This system also gives the employer a leeway not to pay perks that come with employability such as medical insurance. It also excuses the employer from paying overhead costs.

The advantages of the task-oriented economy are, no doubt, plenty and admirable. The work-life balance that the labor market seems to be looking for these days is viable. The avenues of earning extra money instead of a standard wage are available. Employers engaging in such an economy do not have to worry about paying employees for doing nothing at a time when job tasks are limited. Employers also do not have to go the extra mile to re-assign duties to employees whose job tasks are complete, and skills are not required just to keep them busy. However, despite all these advantages, the task-based economy could prove more chaotic and unethical concerning the value of the human being compared to the job-oriented economy. Binney says, "The gig economy may have created new opportunities for people in search of nontraditional employment, but it arguably also has resulted in a devaluation of the human worker." As human beings focus on attaining freedom that comes with task-based employment, they forsake their value and dignity along the way with or without their knowledge. Devaluation of human beings is unethical because of the eye of society; the human aspect of an economy is the most essential. It has to be appreciated in every manner possible.

The freelance market has been flooded as many workers, skilled and knowledgeable, are all rushing towards work autonomy. With so many people within the market, competition is high, and hence only the fit can survive such an economy. Good negotiators and marketers can bid their way into having as many tasks as possible while those poor in such skills could do minimal jobs. Instead of narrowing the wage gap, the task-based economy widens it. On top of it, benefits that come with employment in a job-based economy such as retirement benefits do not exist in task-based jobs. Therefore, even if one earns a lot of money from task-oriented work, the responsibility of providing themselves with medical insurance and retirement benefits lies solely on them, which would be an employer's burden had it been the job-based employment. Employers in task-oriented employment only care about the work done and not the human being performing the work. Binney adds that "valuation of startups is often tied to the perceived viability of the technology as opposed to the quality of the workforce." This statement proves that employers and investors in a task-based economy are more interested in technology in use for their enterprises rather than the brains behind the technology. What people have to offer no longer holds a place in the wake of artificial intelligence, which seems to do better than the human being. Such practices and ways of thinking make the task-based employment unethical.

The competitiveness existing in the task-based economy causes a detriment in terms of stability in earnings. Some workers end up with fewer tasks to perform, which means less salary. The society deems the employment purpose as that which lifts the living standards of an employee and improves his life in general. Employment is a morally upright or ethical course due to the life improvement aspect. The task-based economy, however, may cause many workers considered less competent to live in difficulty as they would not be able to pay their mortgages with ease or plan their futures. The earnings instability of a large number of people is unethical for its result is the appreciation of the worker. According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, contingent work can be precarious at times due to its unpredictability, uncertainty, and risky nature from an employee's point of view. An example of a precarious life is unpredictable working hours (85). Although there is flexibility and work autonomy in a task-based employment system, jobs are sometimes assigned beyond the regular working hours governed by strict deadlines. It is difficult for a worker to schedule their time in the name of achieving the perfect work-life balance since work has no specific timing. Dissatisfaction from human beings is where the concept of morality stems. The society accepts some things as moral and some as immoral based on the level of personal satisfaction. Hence unpredictable working hours could fall in the category of unethical issues related to the dissatisfaction of the human workforce, which in turn reflects on the whole task-oriented economy as one that devalues human life and, therefore, unethical.

Loyalty is a good measure of morality, for if one is loyal, it denotes that they are ethical, and if one is disloyal, then it indicates that they are unethical. Gino explains that loyalty can drive good behavior; however, when there is the inclusion of high competition among certain groups, then it can cause people to become unethical in terms of their practice. Cut-throat competition, such as one that is present in a task-based economy, demands to win at all costs. The urge to win, for instance, to be in a better position to secure a good wage, may cause people to disregard ethical behavior. In the task-based economy, employees can work for numerous employers, a situation that does not demand loyalty to a particular employer. Disloyalty may cause discontinuity of tasks since one job can be performed by many freelancers. Lack of commitment by freelancers is unethical in the sense that an immoral freelancer may trade secrets of one company to the next, hence causing chaos.

Conclusion

In conclusion, despite a task-oriented economy having numerous advantages compared to the job-based economy, it is unethical due to the devaluation of human beings. With the promise of work autonomy and flexibility comes the burden of income inequality caused by stiff competition on the job market of a task-based economy. The difference in wages is unethical in the sense that employers underappreciate the value of the human contribution in the job done. Those earning a low income due to the intense competition, end up leading a difficult life. Society demands that employment should improve people's life and living standards and that vice versa is dehumanizing hence unethical. The task-based economy allows employers not to cater to employees' medical insurance and retirement benefits, among other perks. The perks under a job-based economy serve the purpose of motivating employees to work harder and perform better since they matter to the employer. The lack of incentives demotivates freelancers as they have to bear the burden of paying for their medical insurance and prepare for their retirem...