What Might the Future of Work Look Like?

[u/Apprehensive_Bee8874]

Something I have been ruminating on for quite awhile now. We haven't had a workplace revolution since 1940, when we finally got the 40-hour maximum for most workers and establish overtime pay for hours worked beyond that limit.

It's been admitted that many office workers don't do more than 5 hours of work in the average day. Why do we need to be milking out the clock for the rest of the day? It's asinine. We lose overall productivity this way. We could use that extra time for SO MUCH MORE!

Things are clearly untenable as things currently are, with articles and opinion pieces left and right claiming we're all fatigued, exhausted, quiet quitting, quiet cracking, job-hugging( if we're one of the lucky few to actually be employed). Some are working more than one job over on r/overemployed, and this has got make it more challenging for active job-seekers. A company (Coinbase) is implementing AI in such a manner that the CEO admitted that he mandated employees use AI, and if they didn't use it immediately, they were fired one week later.

I know I'm not the only person feeling the stress. I also know my grandfather would be so angry to be required to fill out stupid little personality quizzes for the most menial jobs. This isn't what our forefathers and union workers fought for.

So, if we are able to suspend our belief for just a moment, could we imagine a Universal Basic Income (UBI)? With a UBI, Real-world UBI pilots are showing promising results, from cutting poverty to improving mental health and employment.

Credit u/Several-Profile-318 for this:
The evidence for UBI is stronger than most people realize — why aren’t we talking about it more?

I’ve been following the Universal Basic Income (UBI) debate for years, and I’m surprised how little attention some of the best real-world evidence gets — especially outside policy and research circles. Here are three important examples that deserve more discussion:

✅ **Stockton, California Pilot (SEED)**:

125 low-income residents were given $500/month in a pilot program.

**Results:** Full-time employment went *up* (not down), anxiety and depression went down, and financial stability improved.

(Study by University of Pennsylvania, 2021)

✅ **Canada’s National UBI Study (2025)**:

Canada’s budget office modeled how a basic income program could work for the whole country.

**Findings:** Poverty could drop by around 40% for a modest net cost of $3–5 billion per year (once savings elsewhere are factored in).

This result showed a major impact for a relatively low cost.

✅ **U.S. Child Tax Credit Expansion (2021)**:

For one year, most U.S. families with kids received monthly payments under an expanded Child Tax Credit.

**Result:** Child poverty dropped by about 46%, one of the biggest poverty reductions in U.S. history.

Sadly, the program expired.

These examples prove that UBI isn’t just a theory; real programs have shown it helps people not only survive but also build stability, work more, and plan for the future. Yet, despite the evidence, the public debate often relies on old assumptions like “won’t people just stop working?” — even though data suggests otherwise.

Of course, there are real concerns to address:

- Could successful pilot programs work on a larger, national level?

- How can we fund this long-term?

- How do we avoid inflation or political resistance?

Right now, though, it feels like the conversation is stuck, and we’re not seriously considering the potential of these programs.

**Would love to know:**

- How can we shift the public discussion around UBI?

- Could UBI work politically, or is it still too ambitious?

- Are there other programs or studies I should learn about?

**TL;DR:**

Real-world UBI pilots are showing promising results, from cutting poverty to improving mental health and employment. Maybe it’s time for smarter, more hopeful conversations about making this a reality.

[u/dataBlockerCable]

There are differing views (as I'm sure you're aware) on UBI and the correlation to work. I don't agree with UBI fundamentally, but when you have firms posting ghost jobs or hiring candidates in a toxic work environment that traumatizes their life then entering the workforce is not an answer for stable income. Businesses need to be more responsible in how they operate, and candidates need to be more responsible in how they conduct themselves. Neither of which will ever improve. I don't think we'll ever find a satisfactory solution.

[u/moonpieeyes → u/dataBlockerCable]

In large part, I agree with you. Ghost job listings should be banned, I also feel that people shouldn’t outright suffer in a first world economy in toxic work conditions. Perhaps UBI isn’t the straight answer, but maybe a small arm of a total overhaul of the system at large. In small towns, we are seeing people die from something called tranq - a mixture of xylazine with fentanyl. It eats your flesh and kills you slowly, but those who continue to turn to it have lost hope. People are losing hope and will continue to if nothing changes.