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"Can you give examples of this kind of job, other than those created directly by the government?"

Plenty of "useless jobs" exist. It comes back to the classic agency problem. What is best for the market/company/shareholders is often not what is best for the employees working at the companies.

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I don't understand your point. Can you give a specific example of where you think the "classic agency problem" results in useless jobs?

Marketing, litigation, interviews, credentialing, auditing, sales...all of these are useful for the company, but don't help society at all. "But society can't benefit from a company that goes under from ignorant customers/lawsuits/incompetent employees/fraud." Then perhaps society should stop doing those things to companies. These jobs are necessary because, of course, it won't. That's the agency problem.

The IRS and the TSA come to mind.

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