労働経済・労働問題 — 全 下位分類

For author Janna Klostermann, reaching her limits and resigning from care work felt like a crisis of self. In the aftermath of this upheaval, this is the book she needed to write. At the Limits of Care will change how you think about care work and about the women who provide it.
Now an assistant professor in sociology and a radical care scholar, Klostermann interrogates women's counter-stories of reaching their limits, crossing ethical lines, and stepping back from paid or unpaid care work roles. She uncovers gendered power dynamics and their constraining effects on women's lives, transforming the ways we think about ourselves and our relationships.
The book makes a major contribution in how and what constitutes care research. Drawing on in-depth life history interviews with women ages twenty-seven to seventy-eight in Ontario, Canada, Klostermann enacts a "counter politics of care" approach that centres untold and lesser-told stories of care work. She pushes readers to rethink gendered power dynamics, question prevailing tropes of care, and imagine more equitable, emancipatory futures.
At the Limits of Care challenges dominant narratives around women and care through a blend of feminist sociological analyses and memoir.

The phrase "human trafficking" often conjures nightmarish images of sexual exploitation but Rhacel Salazar Parrenas reveals that the majority of trafficking victims are domestic workers-who suffer abuse at the hands of "ordinary" family employers. Drawing on twenty years of research across three continents, Parrenas exposes the grim realities faced by migrant workers ensnared in forced labour due to poverty and debt bondage. She uncovers how entrenched social and legal norms, coupled with a patronising "employer saviour complex", foster a troubling sense of ownership among employers over "their" domestic workers.

Through powerful firsthand accounts, Parrenas illustrates migrants' desperation and the power dynamics that often lead to modern-day slavery. Parrenas's urgent narrative challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about everyday household arrangements and calls for justice and fair treatment for all workers.

How does collective action shape economic landscapes? This book examines the transformation of the workers' movement in Spain's metal sector, one of the country's most unionised industries. Having faced restructuring, delocalization, subcontracting and increasing precarity, metalworkers in Cadiz have used radical methods to challenge measures that threaten their income and industry.

Adopting a spatial approach to labour and social movements, Beltran Roca investigates the spatial strategies employed by unions to navigate these challenges, debating whether to focus on factory-bound action or engage the broader community. In doing so, the book highlights labour militancy as a social process deeply rooted in specific cities and places, and of workers as producers of space through conflict.

This book delves into a developing area of Japan's labor migration studies, providing comprehensive insights to unveil the complexity of Japan's Technical Intern Trainee Program (TITP), not only from the perspective of the receiving country but particularly from that of the sending country. In doing so, the book focuses on Indonesia's participation in the TITP.

With this, the book investigates the roles of various actors, including the Indonesian government, the supervising organization, the Indonesian community, alumni, and the trainees themselves. It examines, through three different (but interlocking) stages, (1) the pre-departure stage, (2) on-the-program stage, and (3) post-program stage.

To achieve this, the book draws upon extensive fieldwork, including in-depth interviews where the main part of the book is the result of ethnographic fieldwork, netnography, interviews, and participant observation of the relevant parties to gauge what issues/problems they are aware of. Fieldwork was conducted on/off sites and also with current and former alumni of the technical trainee program in Indonesia as well as interviews with the stakeholders, such as policymakers from Japan and, particularly in Indonesia, and the supervising organization (kumiai/kanridantai).

Between August 2022 and July 2024, GMB Union membership at Amazon's BHX4 Coventry warehouse skyrocketed, with 37 days of strike action resulting in a 28.5% pay rise. Yet despite this, the union narrowly lost a ballot that would have forced Amazon to grant formal recognition.

Based on ethnographic research and reflective essays from worker-leaders and organizers, this book offers a rich case study of the factors contributing to the union's successes and setbacks. It provides a practical organizing model applicable beyond Amazon, offering strategies to engage the workforce, sustain support and develop leadership. An essential toolkit for those navigating the complexities of evolving labour practices, with particular relevance for precarious workers and workplaces where access is limited.

How do discourses of "skill" and "training" shape immigrant integration, national imaginary, and skilled labour policies in Canada?

In Skills to Build the Nation, migration studies scholar Soma Chatterjee takes Canada's Federal Skilled Worker Program as an entry point to examine how the federal policy developed through a productive contradiction: casting skilled immigrants as both essential and perpetually deficient. The federal government's policies and programs come under critical scrutiny as the text investigates the paradoxical position of welcoming skilled immigrants while also demanding they instinctually embody an elusive, assimilatory Canadian identity.

Blending critical race theory, discourse analysis, and Marxist feminist critiques of labour, Chatterjee challenges the notion of "skill" as race-neutral and dismantles the idea that Canada's immigration system represents a state of post-racial liberalism. By focusing on political narratives and government documents (including ministerial speeches, policy reports, and public archives), Skills to Build the Nation highlights the tensions between Canada's global pursuit of skilled labour and its exclusionary national imaginary.

In a country with an understanding of hard work as a measure of national belonging, Chatterjee's book is a powerful and timely intervention into the contradictions and myths of immigration, nationalism, and labour in contemporary Canada.

Corporate retail chains, like Walmart and Target, are the largest employers of working-class Americans. And yet, this class of workers is rarely examined as political agents, in contrast to union workers or government employees. What is often presumed about retail workers-that they steal from their employers, are frequently absent for shifts, and present lazy attitudes-is seen as reflective of the personal character of these workers.

In Deserting the Superstore, Noah Shuster explores the political agency and power of corporate retail chains employees. He argues these employees are politically aware and politically active but tend to direct their efforts towards disobedience and desertion rather than reform. Through over two dozen interviews, Shuster presents narratives of corporate retail employees' experiences of their work and how they take action to attain and preserve dignity in the workplace. This study finds retail workers articulating values that are contrary to capitalist ideology and that encouragingly point towards the possibility of a post-capitalist future among the U.S.'s post-industrial working class.

What makes human activity meaningful?

This book explores how social, economic and political forces have shaped the meaning of 'occupation' throughout history. Tracing the shift from industrial capitalism's division of 'work' and 'life,' it analyses how movements for gender equality, labour rights, decolonization and disability activism have contested what is considered meaningful. From the trade union fight for shorter hours to the feminist reimagining of domestic labour, the book examines the struggles over who defines occupation and for whose benefit.

With case studies by activist scholars, this provocative book reveals how conflicts are central to shaping modern social relations.

This book analyzes existing welfare regimes across Europe, offering an exploration into how basic income principles might influence job search behaviour. Drawing on time-use data and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, it challenges assumptions about work incentives and demonstrates that institutional contexts significantly mediate welfare effects. The analysis develops an innovative "ideal type" framework that measures how existing systems approximate basic income principles, unconditionality, universalism, and non-withdrawal of benefits. Chapters explore the complex relationships between welfare design and job search intensity, with a special focus on providing evidence as to whether conditionality increases job search or if certain configurations of accessibility and high participation tax rates decrease it. Comparing ten European countries and counterfactual examination of Finland and the UK, the book provides empirical grounding for debates often based on theoretical assumptions. The resulting text provides insights for designing context-appropriate strategies for basic income implementation that enhance income security while preserving individual autonomy.

What role did Winston Churchill play in excluding comprehensive schooling from the 1944 Education Act? What was the failed promise of technical education in the post-war period? Why did Margaret Thatcher manipulate government training programmes before the 1987 General Election? And what was the fallout of Tony Blair's government over lifelong learning?

In this book, Tom Bewick examines the evolution of UK skills policy from the 1881 Royal Commission on Technical Instruction to the present day, revealing how shifting political ideologies have shaped workforce development. He applies a chronological, historical-political policy analysis framework to explain the 'four training states' of skills policy and workforce development between the 1940s and the 2020s:

* The interventionist state (1939-1979)

* The laissez-faire state (1980-1988)

* Localism and the devolved states (1989-2010)

* The technocratic state (2010-present)

Traversing time periods to uncover political and economic driving forces, this book challenges conventional thinking and offers insights into how future skills policies can be more effective.

This book examines the socio-economic integration of skilled, racialized immigrants in Canada. Although many arrive with advanced education and professional credentials, they often face significant barriers to securing meaningful employment and career advancement. Central to the book are three interrelated areas of inquiry: (a) deskilling and downward mobility, (b) structural inequality in the labor market, and (c) the gendered dimensions of deskilling. Drawing on primary data, the book investigates how the Canadian labor market continues to reproduce systemic inequalities despite its rhetoric of diversity and inclusion. It offers policy recommendations to advance employment equity, gender justice, and inclusion of immigrants in the workforce. This book is a vital resource for students, scholars, and practitioners and is especially well-suited for graduate courses in the humanities and social sciences, including labor studies, sociology, social work, migration studies, and gender studies.

This book provides an in-depth exploration of upskilling and reskilling strategies, essential in today's rapidly evolving and complex global landscape. The intensifying war for talent-driven by macro trends such as digitalization, AI, climate change, hybrid working, and demographic shifts-has made addressing the skills shortage a top priority for business leaders. These global challenges not only require organizations to proactively identify and integrate future skills through targeted training programs but also demand a shift toward socially just and ecologically sustainable practices.

Grounded in cutting-edge research and proven practices, this book bridges the gap between theory and practice. It is an invaluable resource for HR professionals, business leaders, and educators dedicated to building a future-ready workforce.

The book addresses digital transformation in companies and examines the changes for workplace stakeholders. The focus is on how co-determination interacts with digital transformation. This also puts a transformation of co-determination itself on the agenda, during which the direct participation of employees expands significantly in the interest-political positioning of works councils. Moreover, participation becomes a strategic resource for co-determination.

There has been an exponential rise in global gig economy work. Given the growth of the gig economy and gig workers around the world, developing an understanding of the human factors behind this area of the workforce can lead many to disparate sources. This contemporary text integrates interdisciplinary learning and insights into relationships between human factors, worker well-being and the future of safer, more inclusive, and sustainable work, specifically in the gig economy. It offers an in-depth understanding of the role of human factors and the effects of disruptive technologies on worker well-being in a range of settings.

This fascinating title draws on the voices of independent contractors, zero-hours workers, on-call professionals, on-line platformers and other temporary and casual workers. The book is informed by research from a range of fields, including management, healthcare, platform work, and tech in a variety of organisational settings. It highlights the important linkages between human factors, worker well-being and the future of work in the gig economy. It argues that there is a clear need to focus on sustainable worker well-being, opportunities for creating synergies between human factors and algorithmic control of work in the gig economy.

The reader will develop a full idea of how to improve workers' lived experience and psychological and physical safety in the workplace. Worker Well-being, Human Factors and the Gig Economy: Interdisciplinary Perspectives is the 'go to' text for human factors specialists, business and management professionals, managers, trade union members, human resource management employees and scholars who are seeking to understand the role of human factors in the future of work and gig economy.

This book explores the gig economy and the role of migrant workers, which has been widely documented, but under-researched. In the last forty years work and employment in the advanced economies has undergone profound transformations and, more recently, a key role has been played by the development of platform capitalism and the gig economy as a way of organising work and providing services.

There are still huge gaps in research on how platform-mediated gig work impacts the structural vulnerability of migrant workers and how this can be addressed by welfare policies. The aim of this book is to address some of these issues. It includes empirical and theoretical contributions from across the globe on topics such as migrant workers and digitalised work, artificial Intelligence and work, digitalisation and work-related policy, digital surveillance, labour struggles in the digitalised service sector, unionism and self-organisation in the gig economy. It will be of great interest to scholars and students of work and employment, the future of work, social movements, migration and labour studies.

This book helps organizations discover the essential insights from the concept of "Work-Life-Flow" - a vital resource for understanding occupational health in today's flexible work environments, including remote and hybrid setups. Sustainable occupational health is the cornerstone of organizational success, and this book focuses on the dynamic equilibrium between one's professional and personal life roles. As the European Union's work-life balance directive and the International Labour Organization's 'Decent Work' initiative underscore the relevance of work-life flow, the book explores the integration of work and life, offering readers a roadmap to master a healthier balance. Featuring in-depth knowledge from extensive academic and empirical research, innovative self-assessment tools, virtual training, and practical cases, this book empowers professionals and organizations to bridge the gap in work-life balance management, promoting positive well-being, health, and performance for all. This comprehensive guide shows a path toward a healthier, inclusive, and more productive future.

Drawing from job advertisements, interviews with in-house recruiters, and participant observations, Ren offers an in-depth exploration of how elite professional service firms recruit graduates in China.

This book opens the "black box" of graduate hiring processes from a demand-side perspective, offering a rare look at Chinese recruiters' perception of talent, evaluative practices, and decision-making. It showcases the hiring activities that Chinese employers deploy to capture a homogeneous group of new hires based on cost-effective and rationalized criteria, thereby reinforcing local management and perpetuating the existing sociocultural order within elite firms. Grounded in rich empirical data, the text provides a comprehensive examination of the dynamics behind elite hiring and the local operation of elite professional service firms in transitional China.

The book will be an invaluable resource for academics, researchers, and students in sociology, China studies, business, and human resources management, as well as professionals navigating the unique complexities of hiring and talent management in professional service sectors in China.

One of a series of titles on the Futures of Asia, this book explores diverse facets of Asia's work landscape during the transformative 2020s, offering insights into pivotal transformations and potential trajectories. The covered topics include future work models, the role of technology in the future workplace, the dynamics of the future workforce, and the evolving landscape of work. Examining the topics from corporate foresight and past-future to technological trends and environmental shifts, this book showcases a collaborative effort from multidisciplinary researchers navigating the complexities of forecasting and envisioning Asia's work futures. This book offers valuable insights into the dynamic discourse on future studies, while offering a nuanced understanding of the work possibilities that lie ahead of Asia as well as deciphering Asia's evolving impact and roles within the broader global context. This is an insightful read for scholars with an interest in Asian work and future studies.

The Covid-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented shift to remote work, made possible by a vast array of technologies. While the frequency of remote work has decreased post-pandemic, many workers and organizations are now embracing remote and hybrid work options. Technologies that proved beneficial during the pandemic continue to be used, and the explosion of AI across industries has left many wondering about the future of work and society.

Meaningful Work in a Post-Covid Age: The Impact of New Technologies presents examples of how technology can enhance efficiency and effectiveness in education, industry, and healthcare when used to support organizational stakeholders. However, it also cautions that we must consider the long-term impact of technology on human well-being. The widespread use of new technologies has resulted in lasting shifts in organizational and worker mindsets about what is considered normal, appropriate, and desirable in how and where work is performed. These changes have also impacted how meaningful work is experienced.

The book addresses the underlying concern about whether the pervasive use of technology will result in net benefits or losses to society. Technology that focuses primarily on efficiency at the expense of relational and creative needs can detract from the meaningfulness of life and work, leading to worker unrest and alienation, and potentially impacting the physical and mental health of the global population.

Meaningful Work in a Post-Covid Age presents models and tools to help leaders, decision-makers, and workers navigate their organizations and careers to find meaningful work amidst the accelerating growth of new technologies.