Does a government have a moral responsibility to provide each citizen with a job?
The government has the moral responsibility to ensure that the economy is managed in such a way that there are enough jobs available, whether in the private or public sector, for those who need them. In addition, such jobs should pay wages, and have terms and conditions which allow jobholders to live a dignified lifestyle, without having to work excessively long hours, or take second jobs, or rely on benefits, to get by. In the UK, the minimum wage is far too low to achieve this, and should be set at two thirds of average male earnings, or the European decency threshold, whichever is the greatest The problem with the way in which our current minimum wage works, is that too many employers across a wide range of industries, implement it as the norm, which leads to people having to work 60 hours a week plus, in order to get a living wage.
