Job Equals Just.Over.Broke.

THIS is a common acronym used in the business world among people of true financial standing on those without. In essence, it meant that if you have a job, you are just inches away from being broke.

I've been pondering about it ever since I first heard of it. There must be a reason far more profound than a simple taunt to stop people from working. To call jobs as just over broke, it would ring some sense to the working class. Because for most of the time in this competitive economical age, wages will have to be kept competitive as well.

I found the answer I was looking for. Make a guess from where. Society can basically be classified into 3 classes. Worker, capitalist and landlord. If you have a job, congratulations, you belong to the worker class. Capitalists are business owners who have workers working for them. They are job creators. Landlords are the people business owners have to pay for using their facilities.

Before we look into the situation, I'll like to digress and look at the food chain system I have learn in primary 3.


The Food Chain



At the bottom of the food chain, there are Primary producers e.g. grass. They are the ones that can be found almost any where and in abundance.


Next, we see the Primary consumer, for e.g. Rabbit(not following diagram). Rabbit's main food source is grass, so as long as there's grass, rabbits can thrive and multiply.


Next up is the Secondary consumer, they feed on Primary consumers or other Secondary consumers to live, they are usually predatory and carnivorous.


Now at the top of the food chain, we have the Tertiary consumer and Quaternary consumers. They are top predators and they exist in small numbers, but to sustain them, there needs to be a high amount of food.

The Economical Chain

In human society, we resemble the food chain.


Natural resource, land, energy and raw materials resemble Primary producers.

Refineries, generators, farms and their workers resemble Primary consumers.

Business owners of those things resemble Secondary consumer.

Landlords resemble Tertiary consumer.

Government resembles Quaternary consumer.


When there are lots to go around, the economy goes up and the pay increases a little. But the number of workers will also increase as there's enough to support more of them.


With increase in labour, price of hiring becomes cheaper, so wages go back down again.
( Labour /\ = Wages \/ )


With increased employment and spending capacity, businesses bloom and business owners expand to hire more workers.
( Employment /\ = Spending /\ )


With more business owners to pay the rent, landlords are able to jack up rents to collect more returns from their investments, prices remain competitive.
( Tenants /\ = Rent /\ )


As investment returns become so lucrative, more people joins the buffet. They buy, fix up and sell high.
( Returns /\ = Investors /\ )


Then as the rents spirals out of control, and investment properties changing hands at increasing prices, the entire chain soon becomes unstainable.
( Prices /\ = Stability \/ )


The high amount of rent puts pressure on the business owners, operation cost becomes so high that business owners have to cut wages, there goes the little money workers receive.
( Expense /\ = Wages \/ )


Soon, business owners have to let go of their workers to save themselves. More and more people lose their jobs.
( Business \/ = Employment \/ )


Spending capacity decreases and the feared economically depression occurs.The cycle restarts with the worker class forever being preyed on.
( Employment \/ = Spending \/ )

So, there will never be a time when a job can pay you the amount for you to be not broke. Your boss is not stupid. If he paid you too much, you will not need to work anymore and the one who suffers will be him.

Having a job is not everything. Understanding this might make your life less miserable.