The term “Barbell economy” describes the widening gap between the poor and the rich which results in the decline of the middle class in the United States. It implies that there are more people at the high-income and low-income ends of the spectrum that come from the shape of a barbell with two heavy ends and a thin middle which implies fewer people in the middle-income range. This economy is driven by the changes in the global economy, shifts in the labour market, and advances in technology which make some jobs outsourced, obsolete, or automated.
Furthermore, the concept of the new middle refers to the job types that are needed to survive and thrive in the barbell economy Freidman in “The World is Flat” states that the new middle class consists of individuals who can do things that cannot be “outsourced, automated, or digitized” (Freidman). Such types of people in the new middle class are called untouchables who are professionals and have occupations that are irreplaceable not only in their companies but also in the labour market and local industry. Freidman describes them in four categories including special workers, specialized workers, anchored workers, and adaptable workers.
Based on the explanation of these four categories, I think that I am an anchored worker who is required to be physically present in a certain situation to perform their specific type of work. For instance, I love cooking and eating delicious cuisines so if I were a service worker I would be expected to be present in a restaurant at a certain time to perform my task. In addition, to explain his theory of the untouchables, Freidman uses different traditional disciplines such as sociology, education, economics, and psychology and analyses the effects of technology, globalization, and competition on the dynamics of the labour market. He discusses the importance of education, creativity, and innovation for developing and maintaining the abilities and skills of the untouchables for which he provides examples of various individuals and organizations around the globe.
Works Cited
Freidman, Thomas. “The World Is Flat.” New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, vol. 488, 2005.
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