Would Space jobs fix unemployment on Earth?

Question

I was thinking about something when I read about a company that wants to start space mining by sending probes first and then un-manned mining spacecraft. Eventually in decades, we could see space miners. Now there are already economical problematic factors about space mining in this time right now
but the problem I see is that the average human isn't really ready to go to space. Astronaut training is still special and only a handful of humans could do that. It's not like you can send an average person up there and make him/her go to work.

But if space travel was a normalcy by then, would it save a lot of people who are in need of work and jobs? I feel like machines are already taking people's jobs, but hey if we open up more opportunities in space, I think it would be amazing.

Answer 1

NO!! Working in space requires lots of knowledge and expertise. People who are unemployed are mostly unemployed because there is no average job for them or they are useless without proper education or any other skill. If they can't find the job here on Earth they will definitely not find any job in space just because there is much more job opportunities here on Earth. Advances in technology won't change anything, if there will be such a profession as a space miner then it will done by some highly skilled and educated worker (who would have NO problem finding a job on Earth) not by some random jerk who can't find the job.

Answer 2

No it wouldn't.



First of all unemployment is a lot more complicated than "create more jobs". Paradoxically we have a lot of companies crying out for workers and a lot of workers crying out for jobs. Why can't they get together? Skills! For the most part people who are unemployed lack the necessary skills and / or experience to do the jobs that are available while the jobs that need less skills or less experience has been taken over by someone or something else.



Secondly this "machines took our jobs" is as fallacious as "immigrants took our jobs". It's just an excuse for having an uncompetitive work ethic. Very often the maximum a company can afford to pay an individual and stay in profit is less than the amount of money an unemployed person can recieve taking benefits creating a "poverty trap". The very last thing poor people want is to take a reduction in their standard of living in order to get a job that is demeaning. The last thing an employer wants is an unmotivated employee complaining about the pay and conditions when a machine or immigrant will do the job better for less money without the earache.



All that happens when we get increased competition is that work gets redistributed. For example back in the 1980s everyone was afraid of all the unemployment computers would cause, since one typist on a word processor could do the job of 5 typists in a typing pool, thus putting 4/5ths of the secretarial workforce out of work. Computers however created vast numbers of hitherto unheard of jobs (Software engineer, programmer, web designer, tech support, systems analyst, game designers) not to mention the spin offs, the computer gaming industry alone generates more revenue than Hollywood. Again the problem is skills, the typists that were put out of work can still complain that they're no longer needed and fall into the poverty trap but other people who would otherwise be unemployed found a fruitful career.



The issue then is to look to education and to the government to solve the unemployment problems, with tax incentives to new business start ups and to colleges and universities to train people in the skills that industry actually needs. Now the commercial exploitation of space might one day bring great wealth to the economy but not in the immediate future. It currently is not economically viable. We have the technology to do it but we don't have the technology to do it cheaply enough to turn a profit. Currently space tourism is a reality but it's a very small industry launching one or two millionaires per year into space at a cost of around $100,000 per trip and commercial companies are making the components that governments are spending on scientific research. There are companies researching the possibilities of asteroid mining but currently it costs much more to go to an asteroid and mine it than the value of the minerals being mined. If it does become a reality of course it will create some jobs but that won't solve Earth's unemployment problem.

Answer 3

No, it would merely increase the demand for certain kind of qualifications. I realize that the jobs are very diverse, but still the people who wouldn't meet the required qualifications would still find themselves unemployed. For example, there would be little demand for animal husbandry or fishery since those two require a very large ecosystem for sustainability, which is something you'd hardly find in spacecrafts (raising animals in captivity consumes a lot of resources). You also wouldn't have much need for carpenters.



The point is that it requires retraining people, and some people aren't up for it or it costs less to hire someone who already meets the specifications. You can reduce the unemployment by generating new demands, but you'll hardly meet full employment.

Answer 4

Well, who knows? chances are it will be computer operated machinery with a couple of human supervisers in situ. The time delays would likely be significant, and could cause problems- the 20 minute time delay to Mars causes the operators of the mars rovers no end of concern and extra planning- which could only really be countered by having someone on site.

As Werner von Braun once said;

"man is the best computer we can put aboard a spacecraft, and the only one that can be mass produced by unskilled labour."

Answer 5

No, since you are just introducing categories of employment that very few people would qualify for.



The brutal reality is that 50% of people are below median intelligence, however you care to measure it. They can get away with being stupid on Earth since there is gravity and an atmosphere to save them and you can always give them a job where that can't go wrong and if they do it does not matter much.



Space is nowhere near as forgiving.

Answer 6

Definitely not. Space jobs require some expertise that only few people have. Just have a look at the people who have posted their resumes on Space Careers (www.space-careers.com) and the kind of jobs that are offered. These are not for everyone

Answer 7

No, there will always be unemployment even in a command economy though there it would be called Siberia.