What is Work For? Labor, Politics, and Meaning in the Age of AI

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of work in providing meaning, purpose, community, and other non-monetary benefits. Using an original cross-national survey of 8,234 working-age adults across the UK, US, Denmark, and India, I study the factors that motivate people in their work, with an eye toward the future AI economic transformation. I find that 81% of respondents report being satisfied with their job, and a majority across all four countries are strongly motivated by the non-monetary components of their employment. Using an original "Work Values" Index, I show that one third of working respondents are motivated intrinsically by their job--valuing their role for its own sake. Nearly one quarter are driven by social and community-related aspects of their employment, 17% by social status, and just over one quarter by the transactional financial benefits of their job. Although a majority of people would leave their role if offered their current salary as a guaranteed income, one fifth of workers would stay even if offered up to 120% of their salary. Intrinsically motivated workers were disproportionately likely to refuse a basic income at any substitution level. Groups attached to their job for non-monetary reasons were also more likely to pursue volunteering or work-like activities if they received guaranteed income substitution but could no longer perform their role. Crucially, these non-monetary work motivations are evenly distributed across the income distribution and between white- and blue-collar workers. I argue that these findings have implications for managing the AI transition, understanding attitudes to AI, and making sense of policy preferences. Guaranteeing a basic income may indeed be necessary for managing any future AI labor shock, yet it could ultimately fail to compensate workers for any loss of the non-monetary benefits they derive from work.