Barack Obama's Netflix docuseries 'Working' examines the state of work in America

Speaking to American workers across three different industries, Obama is looking to "understand their jobs and hopes for the future".
 By 
Meera Navlakha
 on 
Obama in a still from the series.
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Barack Obama is getting to work — this time, examining three integral American industries and the people behind each.

In his latest Netflix docu-series, Working: What We Do All Day, the former president is unpacking the meaning of work today, asking questions about identity, dreams, respect, and communities — and how each relate to the jobs we hold. Obama hosts the four-part series, in which he speaks to people across technology, hospitality, and home-care in order "to understand their jobs and hopes for the future", as he wrote on Twitter.

Both Barack and Michelle Obama served as executive producers for the series, which is directed by Caroline Suh.

The state of the workforce is at a crucial point, massively occupying public interest and discourse since the pandemic. As layoffs mount, the role of artificial intelligence rises, and job trends cause tangible changes, the series is seemingly coming at a good time.

Working arrives on Netflix on May 17.

Mashable Image
Meera Navlakha

Meera is a journalist based between London and New York. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Vice, The Independent, Vogue India, W Magazine, and others. She was previously a Culture Reporter at Mashable. 


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