How is the job guarantee different from workfare?
The program is based on the principle of “fair work”, not “workfare” (Rose, 1995). The job guarantee does not require people to work to receive government benefits and is an alternative to existing workfare programs. The job guarantee is “fair work” in that it provides a fair opportunity to everyone to secure decent, well-paid employment and involves communities and participants in the design and management of the program.
The job guarantee not only provides the necessary employment safetynet, it strengthens labor markets and improves macroeconomic stability. The job guarantee meets the call of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and FDR’s Economic Bill of Rights by recognizing that equal access to decent work is a fundamental human right and a precondition to social and economic justice.
Rose, Nancy. (1995). Workfare or Fair Work: Women, Welfare, and Government Work Programs. Book. Rutgers University Press.
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