Manpower; The world of work

The Economist ^ | January 4, 2007 | Editors

[winodog]

Good post bump.

[A. Pole]

With only about 13% of its revenues now coming from America, the company is far less exposed to the business cycle there. Moreover, as providing temps increasingly becomes a low-margin commodity business, it has to look for better prospects. That has led Manpower to alter its strategy to try to profit from dramatic changes under way in the world's labour markets. These include outsourcing, ageing populations and an increasingly severe shortage of talent, even in places like China.

"providing temps increasingly becomes a low-margin commodity business". For free traders human beings are just a commodity.

[Torie]

Pass a law or something. Who needs free markets when the government is your friend? Why hew to such a harsh mistress, when one can get unconditional love, from such a friend?

[A. Pole]

Pass a law or something.

Would you like to remove anti-slavery laws? If human beings are just a commodity it would be a logical step.

[Torie]

Freedom of contract (you know a willing worker and a willing employer, who come to mutually agreeable terms with each other) is not compatible with slavery. Just a thought, albeit perhaps a too subtle distinction for some.

And some think I am the crypto "liberal" on this forum. Who knew?

[A. Pole]

Freedom of contract (you know a willing worker and a willing employer, who come to mutually agreeable terms with each other) is not compatible with slavery.

It is very compatible. If we did not have government laws against slavery, the free market and free contracts would bring it back. Historically the war and capture was not the only or main source of slaves. The free market is a game where the losers can become enslaved if government does not intervene.

Just a thought, albeit perhaps a too subtle distinction for some.

It is an erroneous thought, not subtle at all and easily disproved by historical experience.

Let me bring one historical example:

"[...]Before the introduction of coined money the peasant farmer borrowed commodities and repaid the loan in kind, and … was probably able to meet the obligation without great difficulty; but after the introduction of coined money the situation became decidedly more difficult…he must take a loan of money to purchase his necessary supplies at a time when money was cheap and commodities dear. When a year of plenty came and he undertook to repay the loan, commodities were cheap and money was dear", wrote Professor Calhoun.

Unable to get out of debt, eventually bad weather or a poor harvest would bring foreclosure on their land and even bind them into slavery. This enslavement grew to crisis proportions, when Solon came to Athens rescue with his "Seisachtheia" or "shaking off" of burdens. Personal slavery was no longer allowed as security for debts. He canceled such existing debt contracts; and gave back land which had been seized. Farmers who had been sold into slavery abroad by those to whom they owed money were "bought" back and returned to Athens. [...]"
(A Brief History of Interest)

[KevinDavis]

WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!

[Torie]

You have a point. Some contracts are against public policy. Putting your corpus up as collateral is one of them. Engaging in part time or independent contractor work is not one of them. But if you wish to conflate the two, be my guest.

[onyx]

LOL!

[A. Pole]

But if you wish to conflate the two, be my guest.

I am not conflating. I provided the proof for the general rule - that the market must be regulated by the state. Unregulated free market leads to slavery and other evils.

Another example are monopolies - free market, by leading to the concentration of economical power in the hands of the few, self-destructs itself. That is why antitrust laws and other GOVERNMENT interventions are needed to PROTECT market economy.

Simplistic Free Market fundamentalism is a dangerous error. If not restrained it will lead either to socialism or oligarchical dictatorship.

Free society where the dignity of men is respected must be based on higher spiritual and moral principles. If you want to see the concise exposition of the blueprint used for the creation of Western civilization see these papal encyclicals:

RERUM NOVARUM - ON CAPITAL AND LABOR

Centesimus Annus - Hundredth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum

QUADRAGESIMO ANNO - ON RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SOCIAL ORDER

QUOD APOSTOLICI MUNERIS - ON SOCIALISM

[Ciexyz]

I don't believe that b.s. about companies suddenly seeking to hire older workers. They don't care squat about modifying the office environment for the "less agile" older worker. If they see an older worker walking a little slower due to arthritis, the superviser starts to watch the person, visibly looking down at their legs to see how they're walking. (BTW, this happened to me.)

[Torie]

Monopolies are usually the creation of the state. But yes, if an industry is a natural monopoly, it should be regulated. Proscribing free trade also fosters monopolies or oligopolies. Also negative externalities should be regulated, actions that imposes costs that are not internalized into the price system. This is the stuff about economic efficiency. Prohibiting folks from the work they choose is the stuff of anti freedom inefficiency.

You are making good points though. Keep at it.

[Torie]

By the way, I don't look to the Vactican for lessons about economics. I am not impressed about good intentions. I am more impressed about good ends.

[A. Pole]

I don't look to the Vatican for lessons about economics.

Yet it was the Roman Catholic Church which worked out the principles of Western Civilization. Protestants and later secular movements modified the blueprint set by the popes and scholastics but did not add much.

These encyclicals are as much an instruction as they are a DESCRIPTION how Western Civilization was designed. Depart from it and you will get things like Nazi Germany or Soviet system.

[Torie]

I think not. It was those Calvinists in Holland who really got the economic engine going into liftoff. The Vatican had no interest in free markets. In fact, they were viewed as a threat to the established order.

[A. Pole]

It was those Calvinists in Holland who really got the economic engine going into liftoff.

Well, in a sense yes. But when Calvinists took hold of Holland the Western civilization and principles of the market were already fully formed.

The Vatican had no interest in free markets.

Not in free market as defined by free market ideology of classical liberalism. The Popes of XIX century predicted the approaching disasters of XX century. The RERUM NOVARUM - ON CAPITAL AND LABOR from 1891 AD was a warning.

[Torie]

Yikes! Why don't you just give me the Executive Summary of the 1891 screed, and your defense of it? I know you can do it. Copying and pasting long tomes is a bane. It makes the mind flabby. It is a substitute for true individual understanding and insight typically.

[familyop]

"In the longer run, a shortage of talent—exacerbated by demographic trends—is likely to create growing demand for older workers. Japan, Australia and Italy are expected to lead the way in embracing them."

Ha. Look to India in the near future, older folks, and develop high-tech skills. India knows the value of mutual respect, how to avoid condescending attitudes, and how to watch the bottom line instead of leering sideways at skirts.

"Manpower has formed a partnership with the American Association of Retired People to try to come up with ideas to see how it could operate in this field."

That's the wrong class of people to look for advice, but that's alright, corporate "consumers" of our future. When you're ready to pay fees for the best, hire the experienced.

Older FRiends, don't be slaves. Develop your technical skills, and we'll hire discarded temp. office recruiters to work for our partnerships. Those of you who can work online, work for foreign firms whenever you can. The dollar must fall sooner or later as the Chinese and Indian economies heat up. Pick up a book or two, and learn a few things about running a business. Compete with your spoiled rotten neighbors in business as soon as you can.

[A. Pole]

Why don't you just give me the Executive Summary of the 1891 screed, and your defense of it? I know you can do it. Copying and pasting long tomes is a bane.

This "1891 screed", as you call it, is very concise already and defend itself. (I am not sure what "tomes" do you have in mind.)

And if people like you paid attention to it in 1891, maybe the great calamities of XX century would have been avoided.

RERUM NOVARUM - ON CAPITAL AND LABOR - 1891

For your information, the ideas of Rerum Novarum inspired many Catholic leaders of XX century who struggled to overcome Communism and Fascism. For example people from this intellectual tradition helped to create Solidarity in Poland and JPII was one of them.

The Christian social doctrine as expressed by this and other encyclicals pointed by me is also in agreement with views of Orthodox Christians and majority of Protestants as well (the only exception come to my mind are some sects focused on material wealth).

You need to venture far from the Christian civilization to find cultures more receptive to your free market values, maybe to Athenians before Solon or pagan Vikings, I am not sure.