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Silicon Valley titans, politicians, techno-futurists and social critics have united in arguing that we are living on the cusp of an era of rapid technological automation, heralding the end of work as we know it. But does the much-discussed 'rise of the robots' really explain the jobs crisis that awaits us on the other side of the coronavirus?

In Automation and the Future of Work, Aaron Benanav uncovers the structural economic trends that will shape our working lives far into the future. What social movements, he asks, are required to propel us into post-scarcity, if technological innovation alone can't deliver it? In response to calls for a universal basic income that would maintain a growing army of redundant workers, he offers a counter-proposal. "A powerful and persuasive explanation of why capitalism can't create jobs or generate incomes for a majority of humanity." - Mike Davis, author of Set the Night on Fire

"An excellent, insightful account of the contours of our present labor crisis. Benanav articulately makes the case for a post-scarcity future." - Robert Skidelsky, biographer of John Maynard Keynes

"A highly quantitative analysis of the nature of contemporary unemployment flowers into something quite different and unexpected: a qualitative argument for the invention of new collective capacities in a world where work is no longer central to social life." - Kristin Ross, author of Communal Luxury

"A rare book that manages to soberly assess the contemporary landscape while keeping a clear eye on our utopian horizons. This is an important intervention into current discussions around technology and work--and a must-read for anyone who believes capitalist decay is not the only future." - Nick Srnicek, author of Platform Capitalism

"Benanav dissects and disproves the idea that automation is eradicating work ... We don't need to wait for robots to do all the work; we can collectively decide what we need, then plan the economy to achieve it." - Paris Marx, Passage

"Thought-provoking ... packs quite a punch of macroeconomics and practical philosophy." - International Policy Digest

Automation and the Future of Work