I mean long-term though wouldn't that just be grand? Why send colonists to a planet when you can just launch of prefab drones who can build entire cities and light terraforming, as well as the means to defend it if/maybe someone else tries to claim it before our guys get around to moving in

But yeah, I realize with the rate of tech even newly developed regions wouldn't add many labor jobs, but I was more thinking creating an area where administrative and technician jobs could be created, since as it is labor is becoming less relevant on earth, and earth being a finite size means we only need a finite number of theoretical administrators and technicians for the amount of industry we could ever realistically fit, and that number drops as a single person becomes more and more effective. Developing new regions would at least expand the area in which oversight and maintenance can be employed.

until of course AI comes around capable of administrating itself and overseeing self-repair, then all Wed ever need is a handful of engineers and administrators per continent to provide direction. Ideally Wed have some sort of solution by them beyond just deciding the human race doesn't NEED to be larger than a few hundred living individuals at a time.