Underappreciated, Underpaid, and Unessential

Following the publication of a survey conducted by The Straits Times during the Circuit Breaker period which categorised the top five “essential” and “non-essential” occupations, it’s safe to say that many weren’t too surprised by the jobs that featured as “essential”: cleaners, hawker, garbage collector etc. Yet, there seems to be some cruel irony in the fact that these “essential” jobs are some of the lowest paying. Some might argue that it is a result of simple demand and supply economics. But given how these jobs are vital to our everyday lives, should we continue to allow capitalist concepts dictate how much we pay these workers?