In economics, shadow work refers to a special kind of

unpaid labor Unpaid labor or unpaid work is defined as labor or work that does not receive any direct remuneration. This is a form of non-market work which can fall into one of two categories: (1) unpaid work that is placed within the production boundary of ...

. It includes assembling of goods that come "in pieces",

self-checkout Self-checkouts (SCOs), also known as assisted checkouts (ACOs) or self-service checkouts, are machines that provide a mechanism for customers to complete their own transaction from a retailer without needing a traditional staffed checkout. When ...

at super markets, and self-service at gas stations. Jobs that are necessary for completing a purchase that have been left to the consumers as a way of rationalising production and distribution. In contrast, there is unpaid labor that is made as an expression of self subsistence or to give to others, all things you do without getting paid, such as building your house, making free computer programs or taking care of your elders. The term was coined by

Ivan Illich Ivan Dominic Illich ( , ; 4 September 1926 – 2 December 2002) was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest, theologian, philosopher, and social critic. His 1971 book ''Deschooling Society'' criticises modern society's institutional approach to ed ...

, in his 1981 book of the same title. Craig Lambert, a former editor of ''

Harvard Magazine ''Harvard Magazine'' is an independently edited magazine and separately incorporated affiliate of Harvard University. Aside from ''The Harvard Crimson'', it is the only publication covering the entire university, and also regularly distributed ...

'' wrote about the new trend towards unpaid "shadow work" in 2011 and followed up his research in a book called ''Shadow Work: The Unpaid, Unseen Jobs That Fill Your Day'' in 2015. In it, he itemizes many of the unpaid tasks ordinary people do now that others used to do, such as pump gasoline, bag groceries, make travel arrangements, and check baggage at the airport. He includes the rise of technology and robotics as forces leading to the growth of shadow work, and also includes such factors as

crowdsourcing Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digita ...

and parental over-engagement in their children's lives. He argues that downloading tasks to consumers takes away from their time and reduces the amount of casual social interaction in people's lives. It also limits the number of opportunities for low-skilled entry-level work (such as pumping gas).

References

Employment classifications {{labor-stub

See also

References