Our Groundhog Year

Stagnant wages, antidepressants, increased stress in the workplace, rise in the use of foodbanks, it’s 2017 all over again

Ollie Taylor
Sep 2, 2018 · 3 min read

The latest Jersey average earnings report by the statistics unit shows, in real terms, wages have declined and overall that they’ve pretty much flatlined since the turn of the century and like a patient in a state of cardiac arrest, our economy is in dire need of an adrenaline shot.

The government could implement a living wage I suppose, but that would likely entail local business lobbyists subjecting us to passages from the Book of Revelations leaving us little material with which to describe the forthcoming changes to our climate.

The last government astutely failed to bring forward the Jersey Statistics Unit’s five year Income Distribution Report to before the elections, much to their distress. The last one showed that within the average wage growth the young had seen a decline in their wages, while all the gains had gone to the older generations. I doubt much has changed.

For the average worker the term housing ladder would better be described as a stairway to heaven, as that’s what more likely to be reached first saving for a deposit in Jersey.

Fortunately the States have ensured — for jobs and growth of course — that there’s an abundance of comforting fast-food chains out there to satiate the stress of modern living. Probably just a coincidence, but Jersey saw an eight per cent rise for diabetes medicine last year and while we’re on the subject of medication, there was also a three per cent rise during the same period in antidepressants prescribed. Maybe Domino’s could offer a happy pizza that incorporates both as a topping?

One might consider the loss of jobs through automation an act of mercy at this point, with workers who’ve felt like robots now likely to be replaced by one.

“Dave meet your new colleague, AI-3148, don’t feel intimidated by the fact it works 24 hours back-to-back shifts and doesn’t require healthcare, I’m sure you’ll get on just fine.”

What’s disheartening is writing about these exact same issues and repeating them again a year later. This is not to take away from all those who’ve worked hard to reverse these trends but the direction of travel continues to be the wrong one, and the casualties sadly continue to be our health and our economy.

Nine by Five Media

Nine by Five Media is a new platform to highlight the diverse range of voices and views from the Island of Jersey. We go beyond the facts to analyse, contextualise and reflect on current affairs so we can ultimately help generate positive change.

Ollie Taylor

Written by

Jersey (UK) Evening Post columnist and founder of Nine by Five Media. Always looking for the local angle. Views are all mine and not that of any employer.

Nine by Five Media

Nine by Five Media is a new platform to highlight the diverse range of voices and views from the Island of Jersey. We go beyond the facts to analyse, contextualise and reflect on current affairs so we can ultimately help generate positive change.

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