I have various pervasive developmental disorders that mean a traditional classroom or self-teaching approach doesn’t work well for me, which means I’m far better suited to a vocational on-the-job approach. But in an open labour market, it’s much more convenient to hire an already skilled migrant than to train up and nurture local talent. In Europe it’s taken the form of the controversy over “Polish Plumbers”. If Polish plumbers don’t have to pay for their training, then it means Poland still regards vocational training as a public good where other countries, especially in the Anglosphere, fob it off as a deadweight expense. Germany’s Soziale Marktwirtschaft policy has been an important factor in its high productivity, as well as being a safety valve against the rise of another Hitler.

So for all its faults, the Future of Work thing matters hugely to me. Migrants are a much easier target than rent-seekers, who have the resources to mercilessly smear anyone who dares to challenge them.