Universal basic income seems to improve employment and wellbeing

Finland’s two-year test of universal basic income has concluded that it doesn’t seem to disincentivise working, and benefits recipients’ mental and financial wellbeing Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2242937-universal-basic-income-seems-to-improve-employment-and-wellbeing/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

Universal basic income seems to improve employment and well-being

Finland’s two-year test of universal basic income has concluded that it doesn’t seem to disincentivise working, and improves recipients’ mental and financial well-being Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2242937-universal-basic-income-seems-to-improve-employment-and-well-being/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

How Kickstarter’s New Union Negotiated Terms For Pandemic-Related Layoffs

“The COVID crisis has led to a 35% drop in live projects” says Kickstarter communications officer David Gallagher — who points out that fees on those projects are the company’s sole source of income. This led Kickstarter’s CEO to announce “sweeping layoffs of up to 45 percent of employees,” the union of Kickstarter employees tells Gizmodo. (Though Gallagher says the final…

The Jury Is Still Out On Zoom Trials

As cities across the United States continue shelter-in-place orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some in-person court proceedings are now taking place over Zoom. “It’s an unprecedented moment for the justice system, which is typically slow to adapt to new technology,” writes Zoe Schiffer from The Verge. “No one is sure if that’s a good thing.” From the report: Critics worry…

Coronavirus: Worst Economic Crisis Since 1930s Depression, IMF Says

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: The coronavirus pandemic will turn global economic growth “sharply negative” this year, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned. Kristalina Georgieva said the world faced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. She forecast that 2021 would only see a partial recovery. Ms Georgieva, the…

Uber Connects Out-of-Work U.S. Ride-Hail Drivers To Delivery, Production Jobs

Uber said on Monday its app will list job openings in the delivery, food production and grocery industry that its U.S. drivers can access during a slump in ride-hailing demand due to the coronavirus. From a report: Beginning on Monday, drivers can find job listings of other companies in a new section of their app, Uber said in a blog post….

Pandemic Shutdowns Will Help the Economy, Too

nut (Slashdot reader #19,435) writes: A study by economists Sergio Correia, Stephan Luck and Emil Verner suggests that the best way to save your economy is to save your people. The authors looked at the economic impact of the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918 on different U.S. cities. They concluded that the earlier, more forcefully and longer cities responded, the better…

Instead of Hazard Pay, Spectrum Offered a $25 Gift Card To Technicians Who Enter Homes Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic

Amber Jamieson writes via BuzzFeed News: Spectrum technicians connecting cable and internet for customers during the coronavirus outbreak will receive a $25 gift card for a local restaurant as a “token of our appreciation” from management, after staff called for hazard pay and protective equipment. “These gift cards never expire, so if you choose a restaurant that is currently not open,…

Oracle Criticized For Questioning Google’s Supporters In Java API Copyright Case

America’s Supreme Court will soon decide whether Google infringed on a copyright that Oracle says it holds on the APIs of Java. But this week Oracle’s executive vice president also wrote a blog post arguing that Google “sought the support of outside groups to bolster its position” by using friend-of-the-court briefs to “create the impression that this case is of great…

People Kept Working, Became Healthier While On Basic Income: Report

Participants in Ontario’s prematurely cancelled basic income pilot project were happier, healthier and continued working even though they were receiving money with no-strings attached. That’s according to a new report titled Southern Ontario’s Basic Income Experience, which was compiled by researchers at McMaster and Ryerson University, in partnership with the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction. CBC.ca reports: The report shows nearly…