Chapter 12: The Hidden Economy

Unpaid Work, Unseen Wealth, and the NEW Return

"In the old economy, if money doesn't change hands, value is invisible. In the NEW economy, wealth is measured by energy directed toward real outcomes."

The Forgotten Majority

Sarah spends 12 hours a day caring for her two young children and elderly mother. Marcus writes code that millions of websites depend on, but he's never been paid a penny for it. Elena volunteers 20 hours a week at the local food bank. David is completing his PhD in renewable energy research.

All of them create real value. All of them use energy—their own and society's infrastructure—to make the world better. Yet none of them receive any income for this work.

Why? Because our current money system only counts work that happens inside businesses or gets sold in markets. Everything else—no matter how valuable—is invisible.

The NEW economy changes this completely.

How the NEW System Works

Remember our two simple changes:

1. Money measures energy - When you direct energy toward creating something valuable, that gets measured

2. Money goes directly to the wealth creator - You get paid for your contribution, not your boss or a company

Here's how it works in practice:

Energy Tracking: The system tracks when you use energy for productive work—your time, your effort, and your use of shared infrastructure like roads, internet, or public facilities.

Value Recognition: Instead of asking "did someone pay for this?" the system asks "did this create real value for people or the planet?"

Direct Payment: When you create value, you receive Qoin (the new money) directly into your account. No employer needed. No market transaction required.

Verification: The system uses simple verification—like time logs, completed tasks, or community confirmation—to ensure work actually happened.

Let's see how this transforms the lives of people doing unpaid work today.

Sarah: The Mother Who Grows Tomorrow's Community

Sarah is 34 and has two children: Emma (4) and Jake (7). She also cares for her mother, who has arthritis and needs help with daily tasks. Sarah's days start at 6 AM and end at 10 PM.

What Sarah does:

• Prepares healthy meals (using energy for shopping, cooking, cleaning)

• Teaches her children to read and solve problems

• Drives them to school and activities (using roads and fuel)

• Helps with homework and emotional support

• Manages household finances and schedules

• Provides medical care for her mother

• Coordinates with doctors and therapists

In the old economy: Sarah earns $0. If she wants income, she must pay for childcare and eldercare—often costing more than she could earn—just to work for someone else.

In the NEW economy: Every hour Sarah spends on productive care work gets recorded. The system tracks her energy use: time spent, miles driven, resources used. At the end of each week, Sarah receives Qoin based on her actual contribution.

Sarah might earn the equivalent of $800 per week—recognition that raising children and caring for elders is valuable work that benefits everyone.

The ripple effect: Sarah can now afford better food, educational materials, and activities for her children. She has financial security while doing what she believes is most important. Her children grow up seeing that care work is valued and respected.

Marcus: The Coder Who Built the Internet

Marcus is 28 and works part-time at a coffee shop. But his real passion is writing code. Over five years, he's created security software that protects millions of websites from hackers. Companies use his code for free, making billions in profits, while Marcus struggles to pay rent.

What Marcus does:

• Writes and tests complex security code

• Fixes bugs and improves performance

• Helps other developers solve problems

• Maintains documentation and tutorials

• Uses his computer, internet, and electricity for 30+ hours per week

In the old economy: Marcus earns $0 from his coding. Tech giants profit enormously from his work, but he gets nothing.

In the NEW economy: Every line of code Marcus writes gets logged. The system tracks how much his software is used, how many problems it solves, and how much infrastructure it protects. Marcus receives Qoin proportional to the value he creates.

Marcus might earn $1,200 per week from his coding—finally getting paid for work that makes the digital world safer for everyone.

The ripple effect: Marcus can focus full-time on what he does best. He creates even better security tools, making the internet safer for everyone. Other talented programmers see they can earn a living doing open-source work, leading to faster innovation and better software for all.

Elena: The Volunteer Who Holds Community Together

Elena is 52 and retired from her job as a teacher. She volunteers at three different organizations: a food bank, a literacy program, and a community garden. She contributes 25 hours per week of skilled work.

What Elena does:

• Organizes food distribution for 200 families weekly

• Teaches reading to adult immigrants

• Manages the community garden that provides fresh food

• Coordinates with local government and other nonprofits

• Uses her car, phone, and home office for volunteer coordination

In the old economy: Elena earns $0. Her work saves the government thousands of dollars in social services, but she receives no compensation.

In the NEW economy: Elena's volunteer hours are tracked just like any other job. The system records her time, the resources she uses, and the outcomes she achieves (families fed, people taught to read, food grown).

Elena might earn $600 per week—recognition that community work is real work that creates real value.

The ripple effect: Elena can afford to volunteer even more hours. Other retirees see they can earn income while contributing to their community. Social problems get solved more effectively because skilled people can afford to work on them.

David: The Student Who Builds Knowledge

David is 26 and working on his PhD in renewable energy. He's spent three years researching new solar panel designs that could revolutionize clean energy. But he's accumulating debt and struggling financially.

What David does:

• Conducts complex research requiring years of study

• Runs experiments using expensive lab equipment

• Analyzes data and writes detailed reports

• Collaborates with other researchers globally

• Uses university facilities, libraries, and computing resources

In the old economy: David pays tuition and living expenses while earning nothing. He goes into debt for the privilege of creating knowledge that will benefit humanity.

In the NEW economy: David's research work is recognized as wealth creation. The system tracks his lab hours, research output, and knowledge contribution. He receives Qoin for his intellectual labor.

David might earn $700 per week while studying—enough to live comfortably while pursuing discoveries that could help save the planet.

The ripple effect: Brilliant minds can pursue important research without financial stress. Scientific progress accelerates because researchers can focus on discovery instead of survival. Society benefits from faster innovation in crucial areas like clean energy and medicine.

Maria: The Artist Who Enriches Life

Maria is 31 and creates beautiful murals that brighten neighborhood walls. She also teaches art to children and runs community art projects. But she can barely afford rent.

In the old economy: Maria earns almost nothing unless she finds rare commercial success.

In the NEW economy: Maria's art work is tracked: hours spent creating, materials used, community spaces improved, children taught. She might earn $650 per week doing what she loves.

The ripple effect: Maria can focus on art full-time. Neighborhoods become more beautiful. Children learn creativity and self-expression. Culture flourishes because artists can afford to create.

Tom: The Caregiver Who Saves Lives

Tom is 45 and cares for his disabled wife, Jane. He helps her with daily tasks, manages her medical appointments, and provides emotional support. This prevents Jane from needing expensive institutional care.

In the old economy: Tom earns $0 and often can't afford to work elsewhere because Jane needs constant care.

In the NEW economy: Tom's caregiving is recognized as skilled health work. He might earn $750 per week, allowing him to provide excellent care while maintaining financial stability.

The ripple effect: Disabled and elderly people can remain in their homes with dignity. Families aren't forced into poverty to care for loved ones. Society saves billions in institutional care costs.

How the System Prevents Cheating

Question: "What stops people from claiming they worked when they didn't?"

Answer: Simple verification systems:

• Time tracking: Like clocking in at work, but for any valuable activity

• Output verification: Completed tasks, finished projects, measurable results

• Community confirmation: Others in your field or community verify your contributions

• Smart contracts: Automated systems that can verify certain types of work (like code commits or published research)

The system is designed to be transparent—everyone can see that work was actually done, just like everyone can see that a bridge was actually built.

Why This Won't Cause Inflation

Question: "If everyone gets paid for work they do for free now, won't that create too much money and cause inflation?"

Answer: No, because the NEW economy creates money differently:

Currently: Banks create money when they make loans. This creates money without creating value, leading to inflation.

In the NEW economy: Money is only created when real work happens. More money means more actual wealth was created. Since both money and wealth increase together, prices stay stable.

Think of it this way: If Sarah grows vegetables in her garden, she's created real wealth (food). If she gets paid for this work, there's more money AND more food. The ratio stays balanced.

The Transformation: From Invisible to Essential

When we recognize and pay for all valuable work, amazing things happen:

Individual level:

• People can afford to do work they're passionate about

• Families have more financial security

• Communities become stronger and more resilient

Economic level:

• More people have income to spend on goods and services

• Demand increases for local businesses

• The economy grows from the bottom up, not top down

Social level:

• Care work is valued and respected

• Innovation happens faster because talented people can focus on creation

• Communities solve their own problems because people can afford to help

The Community Scale: What Happens When Riverside Transitions

Let's look at a real example. Riverside is a typical town of 50,000 people. Like most places, it has visible and invisible economies running side by side.

Riverside's Current Economy:

• 20,000 people have paying jobs in the conventional economy

• But thousands more do unpaid work: 3,000 stay-at-home parents, 2,000 volunteers, 500 students, 1,000 part-time caregivers, plus artists, researchers, and community organizers

• Total: 7,500 people creating value but receiving no income (37% of working-age adults)¹

What Happens When Riverside Adopts the NEW System:

Month 1-3: Recognition Phase The invisible workers start receiving Qoin for their contributions:

• 3,000 parents begin earning Qoin for child-rearing and household management

• 2,000 volunteers receive Qoin for community service work

• 500 students earn Qoin for their learning and research activities

• 1,000 caregivers get Qoin for elder and disability care

• Other community workers receive Qoin for cultural and innovation work

Month 3-6: The Spending Wave Sarah can now afford organic food for her family and art classes for her children. Marcus buys a better computer and contributes to local tech meetups. Elena can afford to take courses to improve her volunteer skills.

This new Qoin income doesn't disappear—it gets spent locally:

• Local grocery stores see 15-25% increases in customers

• Restaurants and cafes get significantly busier

• Local services (mechanics, hairdressers, tutors) see increased demand

• Small businesses need to hire more workers

Month 6-12: The Multiplier Effect Those new workers also get paid in the NEW system, creating even more local economic activity. This creates a "multiplier effect"—each person's new income generates additional economic activity throughout the community.

The scale of transformation:

• 37% more people now have income (from 57% to 94% of working adults)

• Community purchasing power increases by an estimated 35-50%

• Local business activity grows by 25-40%

Year 2-3: The Innovation Boom Something even more powerful happens. With financial security, people can take risks:

• Marcus starts a cybersecurity company, hiring 12 local people

• Elena launches a community food cooperative

• David's research leads to a clean energy startup

• Maria opens an art school that attracts students from neighboring towns

The Transformation Scale:

• Individual level: 7,500 people who had no income now participate fully in the economy

• Household level: Nearly every family sees increased income and financial security

• Business level: Local businesses see 25-40% revenue increases

• Community level: Total economic activity grows by 35-50% within two years

Why This Growth Is Sustainable: Unlike a temporary government stimulus, this growth is permanent because it's based on ongoing valuable work. Every week, real value gets created and real Qoin gets earned. The economy grows because actual wealth—better-raised children, stronger communities, innovation, art, care—increases.

The Bigger Picture: A More Human Economy

Riverside's transformation shows what happens when we recognize a truth that was always there: valuable work happens everywhere, not just in offices and factories.

By measuring energy and paying creators directly, we:

• Recognize work that was always valuable but invisible

• Reward people who contribute to human wellbeing

• Strengthen communities by supporting those who serve them

• Accelerate progress by freeing talented people to focus on important work

• Grow the economy from the bottom up through real value creation

Conclusion: Everyone Has Value

Sarah, Marcus, Elena, David, Maria, and Tom represent millions of people whose work creates the foundation of civilization. They teach children, build technology, serve communities, advance knowledge, create beauty, and care for the vulnerable.

In the NEW economy, their contributions are finally seen, measured, and rewarded.

This isn't charity—it's justice. It's recognizing that wealth comes from work, and work happens wherever people direct their energy toward making life better.

The hidden economy becomes visible. The invisible workers become valued participants. And everyone—regardless of employment status—has a place in the economy they help create.

1. Riverside is an invented community for illustration. This footnote contains a detailed, estimation of the proportion of people involved in unpaid work (including mothers and family carers) in the US, UK, and Europe:

United States

1. Family caregivers

• Recent data (via Wikipedia and BLS aggregation) indicate 26.5% of American adults serve as family caregivers—caring for children, elderly, or disabled individuals .

• The American Time Use Survey reports 14% of the population aged 15+ provided unpaid eldercare in 2021–22 .

• Combining eldercare and broader caregiving suggests roughly 30% of adults engage in some unpaid caregiving role.

2. Unpaid domestic labor

• Institute for Women’s Policy Research estimates women aged 15+ spend 5.7 hours/day on unpaid domestic/care work vs. 3.6 hours/day for men .

• The Guardian notes women perform nearly 80% of the domestic work despite being half the workforce .

US estimate:

• ~30% adults perform unpaid care (elder and child/family care).

• Nearly 100% of households participate in unpaid domestic work daily, though gender distribution varies.

• Overall, 30–40% of the adult population is engaged in significant unpaid work roles.

United Kingdom

1. Unpaid carers

• Carers UK & census data show approximately 6.5 million carers aged 5+ in the UK (~9.8% of population) provide unpaid care .

• NHS SACE data: around 2.7 million carers are not in paid employment; 3 million are employed and caregiving concurrently .

• Employers for Carers: ~9% of workforce are carers .

2. Weekly hours of care (Census 2021)

• 9.0% (England & Wales) provide some unpaid care. Breakdown:
  

  • 4.4% provide ≤19 hrs/week,

  • 1.9% deliver 20–49 hrs/week,

  • 2.8% provide ≥50 hrs/week .

UK estimate:

Approximately 10% of the population are carers; among working-age adults, 10–15% are providing unpaid care, many with substantial hours. Every household contributes to daily unpaid domestic work.

Europe

1. EU-wide measures

• UN Women: Unpaid domestic and care work constitutes 10–39% of GDP, with women doing at least 2.5 times more than men .

• ILO: >16 billion hours/day are devoted to unpaid domestic and care work globally .

• “Double burden” analyses indicate that while total work hours (paid + unpaid) may be similar across genders, women still allocate significantly more time to unpaid roles .

2. National snapshots

• UK specifics align with EU median—10% providing care weekly, though national differences exist.

• In continental Europe, part-time motherhood is common (e.g., ~43% of British women, similar or greater in some EU countries) ().

EU estimate:

Roughly 10–15% of the EU population undertake unpaid care roles. Additionally, 100% of households partake in unpaid domestic activities. Across genders, most individuals spend several hours daily in unpaid work, with women bearing a significantly larger burden.

Summary Table

Region

% Adults as Family/Unpaid Carers

Daily Domestic Unpaid Work

USA

~30%

~100% households; women ~5.7h/day, men ~3.6h/day

UK

~10% total population (15% working-age)

Near universal across households

EU-average

~10–15%

Universal; women do 2–2.5× more than men

Key Insights & Academic Reflection

1. Magnitude & Gender Disparities
   

   • In all regions, a significant share of the population performs unpaid work—far beyond what conventional labor statistics report.

   • Women disproportionately shoulder this burden: twice (or more) the unpaid labor of men in daily domestic/care tasks .

2. Economic Valuation
   

   • If monetized at professional wage rates, unpaid care work would account for trillions in economic value. In the US, it’s valued at over $1 trillion annually (); in the UK it amounts to £162 billion/year .

   • UN Women estimates place EU unpaid work at 10–39% of GDP ().

3. Policy Implications
   

   • These figures highlight the essential, yet under-recognized, contributions of unpaid labor.

   • Suggestions for support include: crediting carers with pension contributions, expanding flexible working and parental leave documentation, providing caregiving allowances, and formally valuing unpaid work in national accounts.

In summary, when including unpaid caring and domestic roles, one observes that 10–30% of adults are substantially engaged in unpaid work across the US, UK, and Europe. Furthermore, everybody participates in such work daily, with notable gender asymmetries embedded in its distribution.