We stand at the threshold of the most significant economic transformation in human history.
For millennia, human labor has been the foundation of economic value. But as artificial intelligence and automation advance, we face a fundamental question: what happens when machines can perform most jobs better and cheaper than humans?
Post-labor economics explores the systems, policies, and philosophies that could guide humanity through this transition—toward either shared abundance or concentrated scarcity.
Oxford economists Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne estimated that automation puts roughly 47% of U.S. jobs at high risk over 20 years (by around 2030).
View SourceAccording to PwC, AI could boost global GDP by about $15.7 trillion (a 14% increase) by 2030.
View SourceA 2017 McKinsey report warned that up to 800 million workers worldwide may be displaced by automation and need to transition jobs by 2030.
View SourceClick each statistic to view source citation
The same technology. Two vastly different outcomes.
Shared Abundance
Universal Basic Income
Every citizen receives enough to live with dignity, funded by automation productivity.
Democratized Capital
Ownership of automated production is distributed broadly through sovereign wealth funds.
Freedom to Create
Liberated from survival labor, humans pursue art, science, relationships, and meaning.
Sustainable Systems
Automated efficiency enables regenerative practices and environmental restoration.
Ideas shaping the post-labor conversation
Economists, technologists, and policy makers are proposing frameworks for navigating the transition. Click each topic to explore key voices and sources.
Sources & Further Reading
Primary sources, research papers, and key voices cited throughout this site. All claims link back to their original sources.
Research & Studies
47% of U.S. Jobs at Risk of Automation
Oxford economists' landmark automation risk analysis
Axios / Frey & Osborne StudyAI to Add $15.7 Trillion to Global GDP
PwC's 'Sizing the Prize' report on AI economic impact
World Economic Forum / PwC800 Million Workers May Be Displaced
McKinsey Global Institute workforce transition study
World Economic Forum / McKinseySocial Wealth Fund for America
Matt Bruenig's proposal for universal dividends
People's Policy ProjectBooks & Essays
Fully Automated Luxury Communism: A Manifesto
A vision for post-scarcity abundance
Aaron Bastani / Verso BooksA Basic Income for All
Philosophical case for universal basic income
Philippe Van Parijs / Boston ReviewWages Against Housework
Marxist feminist critique of unpaid care work
Silvia FedericiUtopia for Realists
Case for UBI and the 15-hour work week
Rutger Bregman / The GuardianInterviews & Podcasts
Andrew Yang on AI and Job Displacement
Yang warns AI may eliminate 40 million U.S. jobs
Business InsiderIs AI the Best Argument for UBI?
UBI activist on tech dividends as income
WBUR On Point / Scott SantensAi-jen Poo on Transforming the Care Economy
Vision for valuing care work in the economy
Rockefeller FoundationBill Gates: Why We Should Tax Robots
Gates proposes robot taxation for worker retraining
World Economic ForumPolicy & Analysis
San Francisco Explores Robot Tax
Jane Kim's 'Jobs of the Future Fund' initiative
McDonald HopkinsTaxes on Robots: International Perspectives
Global analysis of robot taxation proposals
CIAT21-Hour Working Week Proposal
New Economics Foundation's reduced work week study
Personnel Today / NEFMoney in the Star Trek Universe
Fictional model for post-scarcity society
Post-Scarcity EconomicsTechnology is not destiny.
Policy is.
The future of work is not predetermined. The choices we make today about ownership, distribution, and governance will shape whether automation liberates or oppresses.
"The question is not whether machines will replace human labor, but whether we will share the abundance they create."
— The Post-Labor Manifesto