Recent schools of thought have emerged that in comparison with the past, the leisure time of people of the twenty-first century has increased. Whilst arguments from the opponents of this stance seem rational, I firmly contend that it has not necessarily translated to reducing working time due to the competition for jobs and the raising of working hours. This essay will augment my standing before providing a logical conclusion.
To commence with, it is justifiable mentioning that technological progress has made people have more time outside of the working hours than in the past. The first justification for this is that technology enables instant communication anytime and anywhere by offering a wide array of digital alternatives, such as video call, email or chatting, which is conducive to people, especially busy ones to connect with their geographically dispersed friends and relatives, eliminating the need for time-consuming physical meetings or written correspondence. Another essential point to consider is that the replacement of technology in production helps people have more spare time. Instead of doing manual work which sometimes produced undesirable human errors that led to product defects or degradation, nowadays, the technology equipment is programmed to help produce high-quality products with minimal errors. As a consequence, it helps reduce time spent on taking effective measures to handle defective goods, and thereby boosting productivity and effectiveness. Take automated assembly lines as a prime example, utilizing them in the manufacture of cars helps enhance manufacturing productivity as people just need to control it through computers and supervise the process to ensure there are no problems.
Despite the aforementioned arguments, I fully believe that several strong grounds could be given to oppose this view. One of the significant points is that although technology helps boost production capacity and effectiveness, it may increase the competition for jobs. The reason for this is that people may need to undergo rigorous training or acquire sophisticated theoretical knowledge to be qualified for their careers. As a result, it takes people more time to excel in these fields or find more jobs to make ends meet. Another compelling argument is that concurrently with the technological revolution, the working hours may increase at an breakneck speed. With the internet and mobile networks covering almost everywhere in the world, people may find it difficult to disconnect from work as employers may expect their staff to be available 24/7 to discuss tasks. Hence, it may detrimentally affect people’s mental and physical well-being in the long-term by causing stress or tiredness. To illustrate, according to a recent survey, almost all employees feel compelled to check their work emails at nights or at weekends, which takes up nearly most of their time spent on relaxing.
Taking everything into consideration, this reinforces my perspective that despite technology benefiting the production process, the intense competitive environment for jobs and the extended working hours do not really give rise to more free time. Therefore, balancing between working and relaxing in this competitive society is up to each individual.