UNPAID JOBS

I may have joined the ranks of the unemployed or ‘economically inactive’ since taking early retirement but the list of unpaid jobs I hold only seems to get longer as time goes on.

These are just some of the roles the public at large have taken on for which we’re not paid or receive any share of the benefits recouped from the companies who’ve now foisted these tasks upon us without even asking if we want to do them in the first place:

Supermarket checkouts – scan your own shopping but don’t think of getting it any cheaper now we’ve sacked all the cashiers.

Airport baggage desk – print a label, stick it on then heft your suitcase on the conveyor belt. Ha! Did you think we’d do it for you?

Tax Technician – Making Tax Digital so you can do HMRC’s work and they can retire early on gold plated pensions.

Bank clerk – manage your finances online then we can boost profits by closing branches and making staff redundant.

Financier – manage your pensions/investments online although we’ll still charge you an annual fund management fee for the privilege of doing so.

Carer – look after your own old fogeys as we can’t afford to do so from the public purse anymore.

School holiday childcare – boost the economy by spending an arm/leg to keep darling grandchildren entertained because parents can’t be arsed to.

Delivery driver – shop online then pick up your own parcels as this will free up costly warehouse space and save us paying couriers.

Librarian – pick a good read then scan it at the computer terminal on your way out. No reductions on council tax though.

Internet Content Provider – yeah, even mindless blogging makes money for someone somewhere.

Bank of Mum & Dad – purveyor of cheap loans, housing deposits etc, Ha!  The financial risk is all on you.

Recycling Operative – sort your own garbage but we’ll sell it then keep the profits.

Energy Supplier – help make Britain energy self-sufficient by harvesting renewables for the nation. Paying you a SEG tariff is still cheaper for the Government than importing fossil fuels or paying solar farms to switch off.

Cash Cow – taxpayer bailouts for Government policies, cock-ups and U turns. The money’s got to come from somewhere, hasn’t it?


With the advent of AI and continued automation of the workplace, the list of unpaid jobs we’ll be taking on is liable to get longer and longer. What we won’t see is any likely financial benefit in our pockets.

Jog on if you think company cost savings on staff or premises are going to be passed on to customers in the form of cheaper prices. Fat cats will get fatter while we will continue to be dumped on.