In the Telegraaf newspaper I read a remarkable peace of Willem Vermeend and Rick van der Ploeg titled “Politics lack policy for new labor market”. And they are right. Of course the need of companies for more flex workers increases (=demand); in parallel the amount of self-employed people increases (=offer / supply). But this is a development which even worries me as high tech entrepreneur!

Of course we thus will see a global decline of human labor by further digitalizing, robotizing and automation. In the meantime we all live in the penthouse of Maslow’s pyramid, hence no need for more “efficiency” and “cheaper” services. So every search for cheaper employment or less risky employment structures will lead in the future to less, but yet highly productive and above all creative jobs.

That’s why for years I’ve been calling that good innovation policy should be the same as good employment policy. Both are simply two sides of the same coin. Surely innovation and good innovation policy should lead to (new future) businesses and thus eventually to more jobs in The Netherlands. Or at lease good innovation policy should preserve the current employment. To which I will add – maybe an Trumpian expression-  new jobs inside The Netherlands for people living in Holland.

In fact, it is my conviction that our tiny country can only remain a nice, pleasant and prosperous country in the future if the majority of the adult population a) has a purposeful daytime activity, b) create a sustainable value during this daytime activity and c) turn this purposeful daytime activity into an own income that fully supports himself and his family. Quite a classic thought, right?

I don’t know what this does to my political color though. I feel green-right progressive. But I do strongly think the appeal of Vermeend and Van der Ploeg is very sensible. Their appeal to come to a new plan for labor policy seems to me totally fair, our current Dutch politics offers unfortunately  little to no vision in that policy area.

If such an employment policy 2.0 could be linked to a sensible new innovation policy aimed at ‘doers’ of ‘real sustainable innovation’, then I too will see a bright future for The Netherlands (again).

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