In a move reminiscent of Julius Caesar or Napoleon Bonaparte, Chinas supreme leader Xi Jinping this week declared himself president for life.

Cant blame a guy for locking in job security, I suppose. Next stop Sun god.

Better than flipping from one gig to the next like a cork in the ocean, which seems to be the standard career advice these days.

I saw it referred to as the portfolio career approach to under-employment recently.

Its where you have youre fingers in as many part-time pies as you can to ensure the four-legged table that is your casualised life doesnt collapse if one of the leg breaks.

And apparently its a good thing if you appreciate job uncertainty but it strikes me as a bit of a challenge keeping food on that sort of table.

You play the cards youre dealt and a part-time jobs a part-time job until it gets off-shored or automated, or both.

Ultimately I think the portfolio career approach is why weve got Donald Trump.

Everyone lost their job in the US and now weve careered into something the world is still trying to work out. Steel yourself for an uncertain future, but dont mention tariffs.

Mr Xi is not alone in trying make himself indispensable. Others before have tried Mugabe, Caligula, Sepp Blatter with varying degrees of success. Often it doesnt end well because, you know, people tire of despots. And perhaps being ingloriously deposed is another aspect of the portfolio career approach.

Yes there will be criticism, and when it comes you just have to ruthlessly suppress it.

As any good tyrant knows, he who controls the present, controls the past, controls the future, controls the tanks etc.

Thats meant as no criticism of Mr Xi, either, because I dont want to get taken down in a drone strike.

Im sure hes just like any rugby league player contemplating his next contract, trying to look after his family.

Only Mr Xis family is the Chinese Communist Party and that party is just getting started. But hell, they recently handed Australia back its entire recycling industry, so we shouldnt rubbish that.

Makes you wonder what Mr Trumps thinks about becoming president for life. Maybe not a bad idea. He seems reasonably partial to dictatorship. If not his Secretary of State.

Like Rex Tillerson, Australian political leaders are not immune to job insecurity, as the big push from the unions is reminding us. The CFMEU has merged with the Maritime Union and the ACTU is pointing out Australians are having trouble paying their bills. Thats not a new thing, but the ads on TV are, and theyre ringing a bit truer than the old fake tradie.

The push is on to relieve Mr Turnbull of his job, and perhaps Mr Shortens too if keeps chasing pensioners dividend imputation credits.

The one great certainty out of all this uncertainty is theres no votes in unemployment if youre leader. Something Mr Xi doesnt have to concern himself with anymore.