Full Employment Is National Security?

🔍 Executive Summary

This document analyses the national security implications of a state-led Job Guarantee (JG) framework proposed by Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) economists. Contrary to some assumptions, such a program may serve as a highly effective stabilising force in preventing radicalisation and protecting the UK from domestic extremism.

Key benefits include:

• Disruption of radical recruitment pipelines,
• Restoration of economic dignity in vulnerable communities,
• Enhanced labour mobility back to the private sector,
• Improved resilience of society during economic shocks.

We recommend exploratory inter-agency dialogue on the security implications of full employment via public job guarantees.

🧠 Background

The MMT school of macroeconomics holds that the UK government, as the issuer of the pound sterling, faces no financial constraint in employing unused domestic resources — particularly idle labour.

The Job Guarantee (JG) acts as a permanent automatic stabiliser: anyone ready and willing to work at the public “living wage” is employed by the state in socially useful work. When private sector demand rises, workers exit the JG buffer naturally by taking higher-paying jobs.

🧩 Security Context

1. 

Extremism Feeds on Idleness and Alienation

Extremist recruiters — from jihadist cells to far-right movements — target individuals experiencing:

• Chronic unemployment or underemployment,
• Disillusionment with government and “the system”,
• Social isolation and loss of identity.

The JG program would eliminate involuntary unemployment, cutting off this psychological vulnerability at the root.

“When the state gives people nothing to do, extremists give them something worse.”

– Informal HUMINT observation, Midlands (2024)

2. 

Economic Precarity = National Instability

UK regions with entrenched joblessness (e.g. ex-industrial towns, certain urban zones) correlate strongly with:

• Low trust in government institutions,
• Susceptibility to foreign disinformation (esp. Russian and Islamist),
• Recruitment into violent protest or insurrectionist subcultures.

A JG would act as long-term inoculation against this form of soft destabilisation.

📈 Operational Advantages

✔️ Built-in Exit Path to Private Sector

The Job Guarantee does not compete permanently with private enterprise. Instead, it sets a living wage floor — estimated at £14/hour for UK cost-of-living parity — and:

• Firms that need workers can simply offer slightly more (£15–£16/hour),
• Workers will voluntarily exit the JG pool,
• Labour supply remains flexible and responsive to demand.

This mechanism solves the “skills rot” and “long-term unemployment” problem inherent in current welfare models.

✔️ Real-Time Labour Market Intelligence

JG uptake levels can act as a proxy for underutilised capacity in the economy.

• Rising JG participation = weak private demand,
• Falling participation = private sector expansion.

This offers valuable non-market economic telemetry to guide macro policy and threat assessments.

🧱 Implementation Risks (Minimal)

• Fiscal “cost” concerns are irrelevant under sovereign currency issuance (ref: OBR misunderstandings).
• Risk of fraud or inefficiency is manageable via standard civil service controls.
• Labour allocation issues can be managed via decentralised councils or digital platforms (cf. Estonia, 2022).

✅ Strategic Recommendation

The Job Guarantee program, while rooted in progressive economics, presents clear security advantages:

• Pre-empts radicalisation by removing material desperation,
• Improves social cohesion in economically marginalised regions,
• Reduces pressure on police and intelligence budgets over time.

This unit recommends confidential briefings with HM Treasury, Home Office, and NCA Counter-Extremism Division to assess feasibility under current economic conditions.

Note: Origin of idea tracked to pro-MMT activist discourse. Profiled individuals promoting JG should not be considered subversive; they may offer valuable insights into economic