> but stating a modern laborer is not getting anything out of their labor is quite false. Not as much as they want, sure, but it's not zero.
In many cases the net benefit of working a job is negative, because many places pay below the cost of living. That’s why so many people are running two or three jobs now, in the states.
That's not quite the right definition of "net benefit"; while there are examples of this, it's things like "the total cost of transport to the job is more than the job" (happened to my mum, back in the 70s or 80s she got a car for a part time job that didn't cover the cost of maintaining a second car) or "getting a job means lots of benefits" (UK political meme "benefits trap") — in both cases, it has to be such that not working is better than working for the net benefit to be negative.
It's still a problem when people can't earn enough to get buy, just a different problem.
In many cases the net benefit of working a job is negative, because many places pay below the cost of living. That’s why so many people are running two or three jobs now, in the states.