The reality is that, thanks to modern technology, we can produce everything that people can reasonably consume with profit to themselves, with only a small percentage of the adult population actually working in the formal economy.[9] This means that all of the work that goes beyond what is physically required to meet that particular objective is simply waste. Large numbers of people would be better off tending their gardens instead of getting up and going to work each morning. Their work, and the individual and corporate consumption that make it possible or tolerable, only exist because, under current conventions, work is the necessary agent in distributing the bulk of goods and services to the public. Such wasteful work has more to do with distributing incomes than it does with meeting authentic human needs. Furthermore, since unemployment has shown itself to be an intractable problem (there are always more people in need of work than jobs that can be provided), the realization of the ideal of full employment is not even possible under modern conditions. Thank God! The dearth of jobs is actually a sign of authentic economic progress.

In practical terms, the false economic ‘dogma’ of full employment serves as a societal straightjacket. By depriving people of leisure time and economic security, it continually reinforces the existing economic, social, and political landscape thus making it incredibly difficult for individuals to reflect, question, and take the effective action that alone can improve social and environmental conditions.