Why Our Economy Supports (And Sometimes Needs) Bullsh*t Jobs

“A titanic amount of our economy is presently bullshit, and we’re working crazy hours to ensure that all the bullshit gets done.”

This review of the newly released book Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber looks at some of the themes from the research of the author and why there are so many people doing jobs like “guarding” an empty room at a museum or doing meaningless data entry. One reason stems from the necessity of senior leaders to have many people reporting to them to inflate their salaries and sense of purpose. The problem is that people doing this type of work end up demoralized and miserable. As we consider the role of automation at work, it will be interesting to see how these jobs will be impacted. In the meantime, this book can at least offer you a voyeuristic look at some of the jobs you’ll be glad you don’t have … or the empty comfort of knowing you’re not alone if you happen to be stuck in a bullshit job right now.