Engineers have a rule: never design a system with a single point of failure. A bridge should not collapse because one cable snaps. A power grid should not go dark because one transformer fails.
Resilient systems distribute risk, build in redundancy and assume shocks will come. For decades, the United States has done the opposite. We have built our economy around a single load-bearing institution: employment.
For most people, a job is more than a paycheck. It’s how millions of Americans get health insurance, save for retirement, arrange childcare, establish credit, access paid leave and, for some workers, maintain legal immigration status. This Labor Day, as we recognize the contributions workers make to our country, we should also confront just how much of American life rests on the stability and quality of their jobs.
We have attached an extraordinary amount of economic security to this one institution, based on the assumption that employment will remain stable and insulated from major shocks. Artificial intelligence could very well test that assumption on a scale we are not prepared for. Technology has always reshaped work.
The Industrial Revolution displaced artisans. Mechanization transformed agriculture. The internet made huge amounts of information instantly accessible, transforming the media and news industries.
Our economy eventually adapted, though not without costs. People lost work; jobs were displaced or relocated; wages were cut. Luckily, those costs were somewhat contained as they were concentrated in particular industries or regions.
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