Labor becomes a burden that destroys the productivity of the economy.

Suppose you are mayor of a city of 300,000 people. The federal government has asked you to assign 9,000 people to low-skilled jobs that don’t overlap with work your government and businesses already do. That number would likely double in a recession. It would take every department in city hall to keep the enrollees matched with productive work. The predicament recalls the 1985 comedy “Brewster’s Millions,” in which Richard Pryor’s character must spend millions of dollars as quickly as possible without regard for the value of what he buys. People’s labor, which usually has considerable value, would become a burden on those expected to employ them.

The program’s administration, virtually ignored by the authors, would present numerous opportunities for corruption, such as businesses bribing officials for free labor. Monitoring such a colossal program would be difficult and expensive. Companies also would seek to influence the program’s public works. A big-box retail chain, for instance, might want a community to prioritize the clearing of a vacant lot next to one of its stores.

The federal job guarantee would do even greater harm to the overall labor market. Temporarily unemployed workers, along with millions of low-paid workers, would be diverted into a complex bureaucracy with no mechanism or incentive to put the workers’ skills and time to their best use. This could greatly weaken the productivity of the overall economy, leading to a decline in output and further job losses.