Workers Without Companies

Workers Without Companies contributes to the debate on the future of work in a productive landscape that is now global, while ways of working diversify at an unprecedented pace.Faced with several decades of mass unemployment in Europe and the activation of self-employment-especially through intermediary platforms-this book examines the transformation of the wage system not only in traditional salaried sectors but also in self-employment, agriculture, and the field of science and knowledge production. The authors identify a common movement: the growing detachment between companies and their employees. This deep-rooted and enduring trend is reshaping the wage relationship at the core of modern societies, continuously altering and destabilising workers' lives. Recognising this shift is essential to interrogating what work-and our lives-will become in the years ahead. The book, therefore, concludes with a proposed research agenda structured around five key axes.As such, Workers Without Companies will appeal to sociologists with interests in work and industry, employment and unemployment, organisation studies and labour relations.