Employment Essay
Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer and include relevant examples.
Employment Essay
I believe that people who work in physically demanding but essential jobs deserve the same level of remuneration as more qualified people who contribute less to society. People who work at a level below their skill set, ability, and education may receive less money, but they still deserve compensation for their contribution to society.
When discussing this topic it is important to consider the different forms of employment. It is undeniable that some jobs are more demanding than others; we can distinguish between “high stress” and “low stress” occupations (Ascher 2008). There are many high-stress occupations like firefighter, army officer, and surgeon. many high-stress jobs also carry a higher degree of risk.
Even if a job is physically demanding it does not mean that people are paid less. The armed forces, for example, place great physical demands on their recruits but pay them very well.
People who participate in these high-stress jobs often have to sacrifice family life and may be required to make dangerous decisions with far-reaching consequences. Those individuals deserve greater financial rewards simply because of the nature of their occupation.
Nurses work hard all day- every day in the NHS in the UK, however, they are only paid an average salary. A nurse working in a similar area in Australia can earn up to £45 000 per year more than one here (The Royal College of Nursing 2015). After years of study and service, there seems to be little incentive to work for the NHS.
Manual laborers make a significant contribution to the economy and deserve higher wages across the board, however, it is unlikely that there would be a redistribution of wealth on this scale. For most people with lower educational qualifications university or free further education is not an option meaning they are automatically placed into these jobs. Providing more training would allow people to move up in their careers and improve their pay, but is very expensive.
The level of contribution by workers in infrastructure-critical jobs is greater than that of workers in many other jobs. Mining and electricity line workers are largely made up of people who never attended university, but without them, our society could not function. So although they are less qualified than many others who do different work, it does not necessarily follow that their job is relatively easy or their contribution is minimal.
Furthermore, although some jobs require very demanding levels of training (and therefore years spent at school and university, the individual may not necessarily be more productive or contribute more to society.
It seems unfair that someone who has spent years studying is paid more than those who have not - regardless of their job – so we must reward those who contribute most.