The Future of Work and Employment series – serie

This insightful book examines the evolving landscape of work in the context of rapidly developing information and communication technology and Artificial Intelligence. It argues that while in the twentieth century there was a standardisation of work style, the twenty-first century is seeing the creation of ever more flexible forms of work, epitomised by the rise of the gig economy.Exploring the changing nature of work in the context of previous and ongoing industrial revolutions, contributors map out the interplay between technology, flexibility and regulation. They discuss how the dynamics of the workplace have shifted in light of a growing platform economy and since the COVID-19 pandemic. The implications of virtual flexibility are also highlighted, including issues around surveillance, work-life balance and role of trade unions. Ultimately, they articulate the broader topics and challenges of the emerging workplace in terms of learning development, employability, disadvantages and supply chains.Championing fresh perspectives on workplace culture post-pandemic, Work, Employment and Flexibility is an essential read for scholars and students of human resource management, organisation innovation and information systems. It also provides key insights for anyone involved in employment relations, or health and wellbeing at work.

Work is a strange and paradoxical thing. We need it, we are afraid of losing it, yet it has become more demanding and its future appears uncertain. Is this inevitable? Can our current experience of work and perceptions of the future of work get any better?Werner Eichhorst provides a fresh view on the conditions of employment and working environments, investigating the evolution of paid work and mapping out ways it may develop in the future, considering what more liveable and productive working habitats for individuals could look like. He takes a comparative perspective on job quality and quantity and labour market institutions across Europe, offering a particular focus on the Rhenish countries. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, he brings together insights from the fields of economics, sociology, political economy and psychology, alongside everyday observations to discuss the key mechanisms behind paid work. This book also demonstrates the important contribution of individuals, public policies, and firm-level HR management to encourage productive and sustainable working environments.Students and scholars of labour policy and economics, the sociology of work and organisations and political economy will greatly benefit from this incisive book. This accessible book also provides thought-provoking impulses to anyone concerned with the future of work and the individual situation at work.

From Power Looms to Platforms examines the evolution of thinking surrounding technological change in the labour process tradition. Niall Cullinane combines historical review with a contemporary appreciation of technological change in modern labour processes to evaluate key moments of theoretical development and empirical understanding. Chapters assess the key thematic areas of interest that technology presents from a labour process perspective. They explore technological determinism, labour control, the consequences for skill, the response of labour unions and the alternative technological designs that can support worker interests. By embedding the analysis in an awareness of how capitalist political economy shapes the labour process, Cullinane facilitates critique of the assumptions behind the Future of Work discourse that prevail under the so-called ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’. Scholars of business, management, employment relations, innovation and technology will greatly benefit from this consolidation of key intellectual discussions on technological change within the labour process tradition. It is also an excellent entry point for students in providing an understanding of how technology has been interpreted in the labour process tradition.

This insightful book presents a detailed analysis of the activation policies utilized by governments across Europe and the US. Editors Henning Jørgensen and Michaela Schulze bring together a wealth of experts to collate key developments in activation policies, acknowledging the different ways in which countries and governments attempt to combat unemployment and the importance of subnational governance capabilities.Contributing authors explore multiple activation policies through political, policy, polity, economic and cultural lenses, outlining the consequences of these for the unemployed and other actors involved. In particular, partisan politics and central steering experienced in the UK, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Switzerland and the US are analyzed, as well as social security and labour market policies developed in the Netherlands, Norway and Germany. The book emphasizes the advantages of investigating national rather than cross-national studies as they bring to the forefront crucial actors and administrative systems that affect activation reforms. Ultimately, it highlights why and how activation is developed in different ways in national systems and advocates for further research as activation is entering a new phase.Unemployment and Activation Policies in Europe and the US is an excellent resource for students and researchers specialising in comparative social policy, public policy, labour market policy and the sociology of work.

Addressing the growing need for integration between STEM and the social sciences and humanities, this book reinterprets the role of entrepreneurship education. It explores how universities can adapt to the rapid change, and challenges, of the job market brought by digital and green transitions. Specifically, it investigates the profound impact of the digital revolution on higher education institutions, including the integration of disciplines, changing student demands, as well as new job requests from firms and institutions on the market. Entrepreneurship and Digital Humanitiesidentifies how universities can respond to these issues.The book highlights the need for a progressive consolidation between technical and soft skills, knowledge of digital tools, and ethical considerations in order to prepare students for the jobs of the future. Adopting a cross-disciplinary perspective, expert contributors argue that to fulfil their civic role, modern universities must develop a new humanism, placing the enhancement of human potential at its core. They draw on their diverse practical experience to show how intellectual growth, creativity, constructive criticism and a wide deployment of technologies can contribute to this goal.Combining theoretical and empirical insights, this book is an invaluable resource for those working in management education and academic governance, as well as students and scholars of entrepreneurship. It is also a vital read for academic staff and higher education policy makers seeking to equip students for success in an era of uncertainty, dynamicity and turbulence.

In this incisive book, Paul de Beer interrogates the concept of the labour market and its theoretical shortcomings in treating labour as a commodity. He argues that to offer people a real chance of a satisfactory work life, the idea of the labour market must be replaced with a focus on long-term employment relationships.The Labour Market Myth thoroughly critiques the standard economic approach to employment markets, highlighting how it fails to explain the most pressing problems regarding work and income. Presenting empirical data on diverse aspects of work across a range of affluent countries, De Beer explores issues such as wage differences, long-term unemployment, discrimination against particular groups, and a misplaced emphasis on short-term flexibility and mobility. Ultimately, De Beer advocates for an understanding of employment built upon concepts of intrinsic motivation, cooperation, stability, and long-term relationships, rather than financial incentives and competition.Combining insights from across the social sciences, The Labour Market Myth is a fascinating read for postgraduate students and scholars of labour economics and policy, as well as the sociology of work. It also offers fresh perspectives for those involved in labour relations, such as policy advisors, civil servants, and trade union officials.

This timely book critically analyses Multilevel Marketing (MLM) schemes, introducing what they are and why they are often associated with harmful outcomes. Leading experts assess how these exploitative income opportunities continue to attract thousands of people, despite frequently resulting in severe financial losses and compromised personal relationships. Contributing authors investigate how MLM schemes create legitimacy by merging commerce, community and belief, while consumer protection is undermined through opaque business practices, weak regulations and industry lobbying. Chapters outline how MLM has created its own ecosystem of self-employment, masquerading as entrepreneurial freedom while advertising false autonomy and ensuring that few participants ever achieve meaningful economic reward. By emphasising participant experiences and tracing the entanglements of ideology, regulation and organisational strategy, this book advances Critical MLM Studies as a framework for understanding MLM as a global industry. Presenting MLMs as frequently destructive and harmful, Critical Perspectives on Multilevel Marketing is an essential resource for scholars and students of business, economics and finance, management studies, marketing and consumer law. Consumer protection agencies and MLM activists will also benefit from its evidence-based approach.

This timely book examines the impacts of an aging workforce, emphasizing how and why organizations choose policies to address this demographic shift. Peter Berg and Matthew Piszczek analyze interviews from top managers, supervisors, human resource managers, and worker representatives to explore how organizations are responding to workforce aging.Drawing on human capital theory and employment relations theory, Berg and Piszczek explain how different organizational stakeholders have varied goals for managing human capital against the background of an older workforce. They posit that the pursuit of these objectives via Human Resource Management practices is shaped by diverse influences spanning stakeholder power, the organization of work, and country-level institutions like retirement policy and collective bargaining. Ultimately, the book develops a framework for human capital management as a form of age management and adopts an employment relations approach that underlines multiple stakeholders and their interests.This book is a crucial resource for scholars and students of business and management, human resource management, employment relations, and sociology and social policy. It is also a beneficial read for general managers for its practical guidance and breakdown of how institutional environments affect organizational policy.