“Unskilled labor” is an absolute fabrication.
It’s not a description. It’s a weapon. The phrase exists to justify poverty wages for the people who keep society running. It exists so you can both pay someone less than a living wage and sleep at night. It exists so you can call them essential while treating them as disposable.
March 2020. Essential workers were called heroes. Posters in windows. Applause for healthcare workers. “We’re all in this together.” Politicians stood at podiums and thanked the people risking their lives. By May, those same workers asked for hazard pay. Many were fired for asking. Told to be grateful they had jobs. The applause stopped. The posters came down. Then the “labor shortage” narrative started. Workers were called lazy for not returning to jobs that didn’t pay enough to live. The same people who were essential were now unmotivated. The same workers who risked their lives were now entitled. When inflation hit, essential workers couldn’t afford groceries. No hazard pay. No living wage. Just memories of applause.
They were skilled enough to bravely serve us during the pandemic. But not skilled enough to pay an actual living wage. Think about that. Skilled enough to die. Not skilled enough to rent an apartment. Skilled enough to keep the shelves full. Not skilled enough to afford the food on them. The contradiction is the point. The lie is the system.
The term “unskilled labor” emerged in the early 20th century as a categorization tool. It was used to justify lower wages for work done by immigrants, Black workers, and women. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 excluded domestic and agricultural workers from minimum wage protections. Predominantly Black workers. This wasn’t an accident. It was deliberate. The law was written to exclude the people doing the hardest work. The category was created to justify their poverty.
The devaluation of “women’s work” has always been tied to the assumption that these skills are natural rather than learned. Nursing. Teaching. Caregiving. These require knowledge, patience, training, and emotional labor. But they’re called “soft skills” or “natural talents” instead of what they are. Work. Hard work. Skilled work. You try managing a classroom of thirty children. You try keeping a dying patient comfortable. You try lifting a grown adult out of bed without injuring them or yourself. Then tell me it’s unskilled.
When manufacturing moved overseas and the economy shifted to service, the labels changed but the workers didn’t. Manufacturing jobs were “skilled.” Service jobs are “unskilled.” Same workers. Different labels. Lower pay. The work didn’t change. The name changed. The wage dropped.
The skills they claim don’t exist are everywhere if you look.
Warehouse workers manage inventory systems, operate machinery, meet quotas under pressure, and work in dangerous conditions. Amazon warehouses have injury rates higher than the national average. The work is physically demanding and logistically complex. But it’s called “unskilled” because calling it skilled would mean paying more.
Delivery drivers navigate routes, manage time, handle customer service, and work in all weather. They solve problems on the fly. They deal with angry customers and broken systems. But it’s called “unskilled” because the app makes it look easy.
Stock clerks manage inventory, rotate stock, lift heavy items, and work overnight shifts. They keep the shelves full so you can buy what you need. But it’s called “unskilled” because you don’t see them.
Cleaners handle hazardous materials, maintain sanitation standards, and work in physically demanding conditions. They keep hospitals safe. They keep offices functional. They keep schools clean. But it’s called “unskilled” because their work disappears when it’s done well.
Care workers manage medications, monitor health conditions, provide emotional support, and work in understaffed facilities. They do the work that holds society together. But it’s called “unskilled” because caring isn’t considered work.
“Unskilled” justifies minimum wage or near-minimum wage. It justifies no benefits. It justifies no job security. It justifies replaceability. It prevents unionization by dividing workers into categories. Some are skilled. Some aren’t. The division keeps wages low for everyone. The label doesn’t describe the work. It describes the wage the employer wants to pay.
The racial and gender dimension is not accidental. “Unskilled” work is disproportionately done by women and people of color. The devaluation of caregiving, teaching, and nursing follows the same pattern. Undocumented workers do “unskilled” labor with no protections at all. The label tracks who does the work, not what the work requires. A white man with a wrench is skilled. A Black woman with a mop is unskilled. An immigrant with a pallet jack is unskilled. The category tracks the worker, not the work.
Essential workers died during COVID. They kept society running while others stayed home. They stocked shelves, delivered packages, cared for the sick, and cleaned the spaces where the virus spread. They died because they couldn’t afford to stop working. They died because they were called essential but treated as disposable. Heroes until they were statistics. Applauded until they were buried. The country clapped for them at 7pm and refused to pay them at 9am.
Corporations claim they can’t afford higher wages. CEO pay skyrocketed during the pandemic. Stock buybacks increased. Profits rose. The money exists. It goes to the top. The claim isn’t that there’s no money. The claim is that the workers who generate the money don’t deserve it. Amazon made billions. Jeff Bezos went to space. Warehouse workers peed in bottles. The money didn’t disappear. It went upstairs.
Other countries provided hazard pay, protections, and support during the pandemic. The United States gave applause. Other countries treated essential workers like they were essential. The United States treated them like they were lucky to have jobs. Applause doesn’t pay rent. Applause doesn’t buy groceries. Applause doesn’t keep the lights on. Applause is what you give when you don’t want to give money.
The “anyone can do it” myth collapsed in real time. When workers stayed home during the pandemic, society ground to a halt. Empty shelves. Delayed deliveries. Closed businesses. The work wasn’t easy. It was essential. If anyone can do it, why did everything fall apart when they stopped? The answer is obvious. The work is hard. The work is necessary. The work is skilled. The lie is that it isn’t.
The mental and emotional toll is not separate from the economic one. The stress of knowing you’re expendable. The trauma of working through a pandemic while being told you’re not worth a living wage. The psychological cost of being called essential but treated as disposable. You’re skilled enough to risk your life. You’re not skilled enough to pay rent. You’re skilled enough to die for us. You’re not skilled enough to live with dignity.
They were skilled enough to serve. Skilled enough to keep society running. Skilled enough to be called heroes. But not skilled enough to pay a living wage.
“Unskilled labor” isn’t a description. It’s a weapon. It’s used to justify poverty for the people who do the work that holds everything together. The same system that calls them heroes calls them unskilled. The same system that needed them refuses to pay them. The same politicians who clapped for them voted against hazard pay. The same corporations that called them essential laid them off when profits dipped.
They were skilled enough to die for us. They’re skilled enough to be paid.
The lie is over.
Now pay them.
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