Today on LinkedIn, I came across the profile of Meliha Jusic. She is a young, engaged academic with a migrant background, apparently having arrived in the upper middle class. Her headline reads “Talent Acquisition Partner on behalf of SAP,” and she works for the ManpowerGroup.
A day ago, she published a post: “WANTED – A job for my dad!” She describes her 59-year-old father as a true hero who has always pitched in, is extremely hardworking, doesn't want to sit around twiddling his thumbs, and always wanted to work. Yet after his last employer went bankrupt, he simply cannot find a job anymore.
What I find so telling here: if a specialized recruiter from Manpower can't even manage to find a job as a caretaker for her own, highly skilled handyman father—then the system is completely broken. It's a total declaration of bankruptcy.
David Graeber was completely right with his analysis over ten years ago in Bullshit Jobs. Back then, at least there were jobs—even if they were bullshit jobs. Today, there aren't even bullshit jobs left from Manpower.
It gets even more macabre: Meliha shares in another post that her brother Mirnes—by her own account a "top recruiter" himself—is currently looking for a job as well. A top recruiter who can't find a job for himself. It borders on real-life satire.
This clearly shows: the neoliberal exploitation machine is at its end. To that I just say: Anti-Hustle Club. Stop this nonsense. Be honest with yourselves and admit that it doesn't work with these jobs anymore.
P.S.: I actually find the company name "Manpower" catastrophic. The patriarchy really comes through there. Not even "Men" in the plural, but "Man"—a single man. Sure, in English "man" often stands for humanity in general, but nobody sees that at first glance. They should have used "Human Power" instead of Manpower. So there again: the patriarchy is at its end.
