Why the Future is Workless

Even as the robots gather on the near horizon this book argues we have choices about the manner in which we greet them. A world without work as we know it could be a good thing.

The landscape of work is changing right in front of us, from Uber, Airbnb and the new share economy to automated vehicles, 3D printing and advanced AI. The question isn't whether robots will take our jobs, but what we will do when they do. The era of full-time work is coming to an end and we have to stop holding out the false promise that at some magical moment the jobs are going to reappear. So what does our future in the brave new world of non-work look like? 

In this timely and provocative book, Tim Dunlop argues that by embracing the changes ahead we might even find ourselves better off. Workless goes beyond the gadgetry and hype to examine the social and political ramifications of work throughout history and into the future. It argues we need to think big now, not wait until we're in a dystopian world of mass unemployment and wealth held in the hands of a minority.

About the Author

Tim Dunlop was a pioneer of political blogging in Australia. He ran the internationally successful independent blog The Road to Surfdom and was the first Australian blogger to be hired by a mainstream media organisation (News Limited, for which he wrote the political blog Blogocracy). He has a PhD in communication and political philosophy, teaches at Melbourne University, and writes regularly for a number of publications, including The Drum. He lives in Melbourne with his wife and son.