UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME - My Brainfart About It

 

DIMINISHING INCOME STREAMS

The main reason I see the inescapable reality of the UBI becoming more mainstream in the coming short years is the fact that the resources available are constrained and the needs amongst the populace are constant if not increasing. This is a global fact; not only here in a developing economy such as Kenya.

WHO QUALIFIES 

So far the metric used in determining the person(s) eligible for such a scheme is the poverty threshold determined over a country or locale and every citizen living within it gets support from the scheme. Another variation is the social security unemployment benefits that developed economies use to support people who have fallen on hard times. We'll have te equity and equality discussion later.

It is also important to note that in Kenya, this has already been tried out by an NGO in the Bomet and Siaya counties, with a sample size of 14,474 households and the study started in 2018 to see if the beneficiaries would lead sustainable lifestyles and not end up using the money to fund tobacco and alcohol abuse.

WHAT WOULD MAKE IT POSSIBLE

For such a program to work, an authority – government/global organization needs to come up with set standards to ensure the transparency and security of funds being transferred.

Two ways to do this is to set up the necessary structures of digital inclusivity and here we’re talking universality in digital ID systems and accessibility to mobile telephony even in the most remote regions of a country so that no one gets left out.

This would require robust investments in the digital infrastructures especially in Sub-Saharan African nations.

THE POSSIBLE BENEFITS

Well, that’s pretty straight forward. In a nutshell, Thanos’ dream of full bellies will be achieved without having to wipe out half of the global population and we just might achieve utopia to a certain degree.

Another benefit we’d hit is having that Universal Health Care easily implementable with a synergistic database attained via the universal digital ID.

Another key goal we’d achieve is eliminating corruption through the traceability of the transactions done and ensuring the money ends up in the hands of those who need it most.

HOW IT WOULD AFFECT EMPLOYMENT

We need to face the reality here and admit that in an economy like Kenya’s many manufacturing modes of employment will not be available in the not so distant future. The truth is we as Kenya-and many world nations with the exception of China, Japan, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan and maybe few countries which you can count with your fingers – are a service and information economy.

There are many of us millennials who will never get jobs in the manufacturing sector of our economy. Many of us will start rambling online like I am with this blog of mine hoping to someday make some cash off of our ramblings through vlogs and podcasts as well to bee proud of the  content we’ve created and somehow get a shred of dignity in it other being dependent on a capped cash allocation over a set period. There are some others who’d be content with the UBI whilst others will just hate it.  The best case scenario is to hope that not most of our population will be wholly dependent on the UBI.

Not that many people would want to seek employment if the comparitive incentive isn't worth their time.

We'd end up obese like these humans from that Wall E movie

HOW OUR ECONOMY IS WORKING TOWARDS THE UBI

Our economy has already started working towards the UBI and consequently the UHC(Universal Health Care)  via The Huduma Namba digital ID and this is not happening here alone it’s also happening all over the world . The globalization of such schemes can easily be integrated into the Agenda 21, Agenda 2030 and ID 2020 schemes through one entity being given access seamlessly into another’s database. We can see this with the Covid 19 Immunity passports.

There’s also a big four agenda which the Kenya government is working hard to attain as well as its vision 2030 goals which are getting really easily achievable as technology advances.

As I sign off on this piece just know that there has to be an authority overseeing all this Utopian yumminess and that this was not just a fluff piece. 

 Some sacrifices to our personal privacies will have to be made. To whom, I’m not so sure.

 

 

THE ROBOTS ARE TAKING OVER

photo courtesy: gamingintel.com

INEVITABILITY

Whether we like it or not this was the road the planet was heading to since the dawn of the industrial revolution and just like the beginnings of it, it carries with it some pros (mostly for the producing class) and cons which are heavily on the side of the working class. In today’s parlance it’s dubbed: THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION by the WEF - World Economic Forum and other experts or the guys you see on TV getting paid a whole bunch for flapping their gums and sounds come out. Those guys.

 It’s with this in my mind and also with the rollout of the thing already happening in the world around us, that we’ll be checking it out in this entry. Also, this post is not about promoting robophobia although to be honest there's a degree of apprehension in me about bots and botnets and the internet of things.

WHAT IT IS IN A NUTSHELL

The fourth industrial revolution/ Industry 4.0/ 4IR involves the onslaught of automation in the manufacturing and service industries. With it of course it means just like in The second industrial revolution where many roles involved the on-hand availability of many manual labourers as was the norm in The first industrial revolution – which were mostly rendered redundant by the new mechanizations and standardizations – this 4IR will be and is putting many an employed heads on the chopping block as well.

Don’t worry about the third industrial revolution, it pretty much started after the invention of the semiconductors in 1949 or there about and it brought it the digital aspect of human life on earth over the latter half of the 20^th century.

With brutally short explanations out of the way, let’s get into the meat and potatoes of this one shall we?

HOW IT AFFECTS THE JOB MARKET

For every player in every industry to survive, they’ll to dip their toes into this tech ooze or risk going extinct. This on the other hand means many of their workers and even departments will be replaced by some tech software or some kind of app or a robot depending on the role one’s involved in.

The 4IR is very beneficial mostly to the higher ups in organizations because they won’t have any costs incurred with lost man hours due to illnesses or some emergencies , no need to provide medial cover for their bots, the ability to boost productivity by longer working hours of their automatons has jumped through the roof and all that fun stuff.

On the other side of the coin what’s the human worker supposed to do?

HOW TO GET EVEN

Well, the following is just me spit-balling on what we can do when (not if) we find ourselves competing with AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the job market.

o   Get more tech savvy.

Since we cannot beat the inevitable, we need to learn more and more about the emerging tech-sphere and find out where we can fix ourselves within it. This would involve seeking new tech based skills so that we are relevant and valuable in the world today.

o   Look for alternative income sources

This is pretty much inevitable and I’ll look into it more on another post here but more governments in the world are looking to implement the UBI

Universal Basic Income where the citizens are assisted through a social security program by giving the people a stipend every month to live on so that people do not go hungry,

o   Getting into the service industry

There are certain emerging industries associated with the 4IR and these would involve you getting a driving licence because of all the driving and motorbike delivery services popping up. So acquiring that driving and riding skill- whilst still viable- will keep you employed a little bit longer.

In other sectors such as the hotel and related industries would get you fed for a while.

PS

Self-driving vehicles will replace you soon within the coming 2 decades

o   Acquire technical skills Through TVETs (Technical and Vocational Education and Training)

This is just like the measure above but with the context of a developing economy like the one in Kenya, one needs to get technical training on what are categorized as blue collar jobs. Examples could be in training to operate heavy machinery use in major construction projects like bulldozers , cranes and such , being a forklift operator, getting into masonry and carpentry as well as getting trained in welding skills, artisanry and such marketable skillsets – Also note that automation will completely take over these jobs over the next 2 decades.

This discussion is not as exhaustive and conclusive due to the dynamics of today’s job market. Plus this blog post is too long for many of us millennials or Gen-Zs to have read to this point. I’ll be posting related aspects of it in at least two more entries this week.

AFTER FAILING TO GET HIRED

AFTER THE INTERVIEW GOES SOUTH

Here you are and things just did not happen to go according to plan on that job posting you had anticipated that was yours. You had done all the prepping possible, got all your necessary documents in order and got through the first and second interviews - or however many the potential employer required - but at the last one, you just didn't manage to get through.

 

 So here we are. Stuck and confused and the feeling of having been punched in the throat is a hard one to shake off. A flood of emotion and hindsight checking and rechecking what you could have done wrong because in certain cases it's clear to you and you'd know how to rectify a certain flaw should you get a shot another time and in some cases your presentation to the recruiters/interviewers was just spot on and you knew you had it in the bag but you never really did.

That's what this entry is going to cover today.

 

ACCEPTANCE OF THE HAND DEALT

I've personally gone through a similar thing in the recent past and to be quite honest it was tough accepting that my application was rejected and that I never got called back to the firm I wanted to work in.  It was slump that I got over and I'm sure that you would get over it too. Also remember when finding an ideal job the good old luck meets opportunity might get into the mix so do not be too hard on yourself.  The following are just some tips to follow when handling this reality.

 

1. IT'S NOT ALWAYS SUNNY

There are certain times in life where we'll not always have things go our way and that's just the way it is. It's also important to take go through that 'grieving process' whilst also taking stock of what you could do better should such a chance come your way. DO NOT ruminate in it for too long because it will also build self-doubt and be detrimental to your confidence. It's important to note that one's confidence is needed when facing the next interview in one's life. Just dust yourself off after this L and get into that beast mode for the next one.

 

2. ASSESS THE ALTERNATIVES AVAILABLE

It's time to look over all the options available and cast your net wider. In this day and age it means making multiple applications to many companies that are involved with your industry of interest and even in unrelated fields of your expertise.

Cast your net as wide as possible to improve your chances of getting employed.

The option above is for the conventional listings of jobs you'd find online on the usual recruitment platforms. There's another way still.

 

 

3. THE HIDDEN JOB MARKET

There exists a hidden job market today that does not get listed by many companies today. Now with this strategy, it involves networking with people and reaching out to them and asking them if they know of any job openings anywhere. This could be your friends and family. Why the hidden job market concept is key is because most jobs pop up within an organization and are not made public. You can read more about the hidden job market here. In summary, some studies have shown that some 70% of employment are gained through ''who you know'' and this is achieved through networking with people within your circles and even without. There's no shame in telling someone you're looking for job and if they'd have any leads, they point them out. Be brave, you're great and a recruiter somewhere is looking for you to add value to their organization.

 

CONCLUSION:

Whatever you do after getting that gut-wrenching rejection from that particular office, pick yourself up and don't stop hunting for your next job. Just take heart and keep moving. Some may read this before going for any interview and it might shore your emotions up and some might read this after getting the ''we'll call you'' that they know is a polite way of getting kicked to the curb. For the latter, be strong it's not the end and the best is yet to come.

CORPORATE WORLD REALITIES

One's involvement in the corporate World is primarily led by the need to provide for one's needs and also one's dependents. That aspect of it is what I'll be focusing on on this entry. 

THE MAJOR DRIVE

So here you are in that job you so competitively secured after going through a drill of interviews that had been preceded with a kickass resumé/CV and you're finally in your dream job post (although these days some jobs are done because of necessity and not personal passion or drive). With it comes a truckload of responsibilities i.e. the dependents I had mentioned above as well as trying to keep up with Maslow's hierarchy of needs. You end up with two options:

1. Having a side hustle.

2. Wanting to advance your career by climbing the proverbial Corporate Ladder.

DIGGING INTO THE OPTIONS

So here you are trying to come up with a side hustle or a business idea that'll keep you ahead of this thing called life and its various demands it has on you. Only in your case you cannot find the time not the ideas necessary to begin. The risks outweigh the benefits and you're left with option 2.

 

This corporate ladder that you have to climb has to do with you working more hours and appeasing your higher ups amongst other things, to the degree that they take note and maybe throw you a little bone and you start to level up.

With this strategy it takes quite a degree of serendipity in addition to your hard work and dedication especially if you're working for large firm where one getting noticed is as often as lunar eclipse.

So what are you to do?

THE BAD AND THE UGLY

You've done everything possible with your limited free time to look into ways of advancing your career which in our case mostly takes a bit of googling and the search results pop up and they are all fine and dandy but those are just text book approaches and you are the only one who knows the realities of your firm and the work environment you're in.

Here's what I mean; 

Most companies are operating on a profit and loss principle. If you can get those extra hours in and they get to compensate you cheaply or in some cases not compensate you at all, the prerogative of advancing you mostly lies with "the powers that be" in these companies. Try as you might, you can give your liver and spleen to them and they won't bat an eye because as long as they benefit you are just another robust cog in their machine.

There are other neferious ways to get to top like bribing, stabbing your co-workers in the back , being a boot licker - just engaging in office politics by switching your alleagience to your bosses...but this blog post isn't advocating for those.

HOW TO GRIN AND BEAR IT

The best way for one to get through this - although admittedly not conclusive- is:

a)Get to understand the that there is also an element of serendipity in life . Just as you got that job is also the same way you'd likely get a promotion.

b) Grow your skill set. 

This could involve you maxing out on all the ins an outs of what you're specialize in at your current post and even if you can squeeze in some extra trainings by signing up for classes, do it.

This will make you more valuable as a person.

c)Know your value

Do not let the company you're currently working for missuse you for long because that could take a toll on your mental health and your loved ones need you strong. Look into competitor firms and see if they have openings for someone with your skills and experience and see if their compensation is better that where you're currently working.

d)Relook option 1 from above.

After what you've gone through, you can now easily assess your risks and look into options of investing in ventures that would not lead you into bankruptcy.

You can bulit a business humbly and from there just grow it slowly.