At a conference “Labour in Government: One year one – Claim the Future” this past Saturday in London, l was glad that Professor Kate Pickett brought up the issue of Universal Basic Income (UBI) in the discourse on protecting the welfare rights of the elderly and disabled in the Session on how Poverty can be Tackled. 

To extend the debate on welfare and austerity, I informed the meeting, that President Lee of South Korea was elected in 2022 on a promise to implement UBI funded by carbon and land value taxes for farmers, fishermen and young people at first. For extension later, to include all citizens and the basis amount increasing as well. 

Some efforts are also being made by the Welsh government, as it has implemented a basis income pilot programme for young people leaving the care system by providing them with a monthly payment of 1,600 ( before tax) for two years.  The pilot aimed to support care leavers in their transition to adulthood and address potential poverty and instability and it 

With the rise in graduate unemployment concentrated among men revealed in data presented by the brilliant FT data analyst, John Burn-Murdoch this past Friday, we are may well be seeing the impact of artificial intelligence on the job market for the first time. If so, UBI maybe the best approach to keeping them functioning within society. We just need to keep an eye on what is happening with the UBI policies being applied nationally in South Korea and the lessons learnt from Wales as well. 

Nonetheless, UBI clearly has a role to play in the new employment future for many with the onsite of AI’s impact on the future job market.