I had a weird thought about slavery and today's job market
A random thought I had today:
If slavery still existed today, buying a single slave would probably cost at least $10,000 upfront.
And that's before paying for food, housing, clothing, medical care, and everything else needed to keep that person alive.
Now compare that to a modern employee.
As a free person, you're usually far more motivated than a slave ever could be. Some people genuinely show up excited for work, build careers, develop new skills, chase promotions, and even greet everyone with an enthusiastic "Good morning!" every day.
If business slows down, the employer can simply lay you off. No long-term obligation.
Raises, bonuses, stock options, and other incentives can increase productivity whenever needed. Employees also invest in improving themselves because they have something to gain. A slave has very little reason to become more skilled than necessary.
Owning slaves also came with its own costs: guards, supervision, preventing escapes, suppressing rebellions, and constant security.
Historically, there were even legal and religious complications. In some periods, enslaved people were forbidden from converting to Christianity because baptism could imply legal freedom. If slavery still existed today, modern religious freedom laws alone would create enormous legal conflicts.
In purely economic terms, paying wages can actually be cheaper than owning people. The modern employer gets a motivated worker without taking on the lifetime costs, legal responsibilities, and risks that came with slavery.
Now look at where we are today.
People spend months trying to find jobs in one of the worst job markets in years, often competing for roles with low pay, long hours, and poor working conditions. At the same time, AI continues to automate more and more work.
It makes me wonder if we've reached a point where companies don't even need as much labor as they used to. Not because workers became less valuable, but because technology has reduced the need for so many of them in the first place.