A new society (2) - Distribution of work

We need a fair way to distribute the work among the people in a society, so that every person has the right to work at a suitable occupation for a fair wage, that is sufficient to meet their basic needs.

Based on the size of the population and the output of the essential services and products, it is possible to determine the number of people to be engaged in each occupation. The workers can bid for these jobs. A right quantum of work should be allocated to each person, to ensure a fair distribution of the work.

The rate for each job can be determined by supply and demand, almost like the bidding system. If there are more people willing to do a certain occupation at a specified rate per hour, the rate has to be adjusted downwards to reach a market balance. If there are less people interested, the rate has to be adjusted upwards. This rate can apply for a period of six or twelve months.

Under this system, it may be possible for a doctor to earn (say) $30 an hour and an office worker to earn $10 per hour. This will reflect the market conditions and the training needed for the occupation.

A doctor can earn 3 times of an office worker, but not 30 times or 300 times. Each qualified doctor is confident of being able to earn a certain number of hours of work each day, based on the way that the work has been allocated.

It is possible to introduce fair competition in this system. For example, the consumers know that standard rate for a doctor is $30 an hour. An individual doctor may charge a higher or lower rate than the standard rate, but this has to be disclosed to the patients. The patient can decide whether to go for the standard or the special rate.

The doctor can work more or less than the standard hours, but if there is a fair balance between supply and demand, there is no need for excessive or predatory competition. There is enough work to be shared among the doctors.

The same concept can apply to other occupations.

Tan Kin Lian