No, it's not just the administrative overhead. You're forgetting volunteering. Some of these people freed from their bullshit jobs will volunteer for whatever they deem important or interesting. That's a better use of human capital.
When I talk about wasting natural resources I'm thinking about electricity for the office/plant, fuel for the commute, etc. Pretend-work is not without costs.
Volunteering is a weak argument. Generally people with free money and free time don't go to volunteering gigs. They go on vacation.
>When I talk about wasting natural resources I'm thinking about electricity for the office/plant, fuel for the commute, etc. Pretend-work is not without costs.
"Pretend-work" isn't an emergent flaw that arises out of putting people to work. You're describing bad management, which is a different sort of problem.
Secondly, if you think "pretend-work" is the result of an oversupply of workers, I have to say that there are plenty of potential public projects in the United States that are targets human capital can be direct towards. The demand far exceeds the supply. Our country has the most inefficient urban infrastructure in the first world, so you can imagine how much can be done.
Also note that there doesn't need to be demand in order for a public project to be filled. Before the internet was created there was virtually no demand for it. Public works projects can be directed towards ideas that improve society in general even if demand is nonexistent.
When I talk about wasting natural resources I'm thinking about electricity for the office/plant, fuel for the commute, etc. Pretend-work is not without costs.