Over the last several decades, the workplace in Canada has experienced profound changes. Work has become increasingly insecure for a growing number of workers, and income inequality has deepened. New technologies have reshaped labour processes and have enhanced elements of employer control over work and workers. Entry into the labour market is itself a difficult process, as young workers struggle to match qualifications and credentials with jobs, while for many older workers, retirement with a secure income is a diminishing prospect. The demographic composition of the labour market is transforming, yet this change is conditioned by longstanding patterns of inequality in terms of gender, race, disability, and immigration status.
Work and Labour in Canada explores the changing world of work, mapping out major trends and patterns that define working life and identifying the economic, social, and political factors that shape the contemporary workplace. Evaluating working conditions and the quality of jobs from a critical perspective, this text presents an analysis of recent trends in employment and unemployment as well as outlines the role and impact of unions and other workers’ organizations.
The fourth edition includes a new chapter on work and technology, updated statistical data, and additional content on the basic income debate, labour and climate change, and COVID-19. This thoroughly revised and updated edition is essential for teachers, researchers, labour activists, and students of labour studies, sociology, political science, political economy, and economic geography programs.
Features:
Key topics and themes supported by ample research and presented in an accessible manner for readers
A new chapter that explores the impact of emerging technologies, such as automation and AI, on the labour market
Robust pedagogical features, including discussion questions, recommended readings, figures, charts, tables, and suggested internet resources and videos
Introduction: The World of Work in the 21st Century
Part I: Working in Precarious Times
Chapter 1: Work, Wages, and Living Standards in Canada
Chapter 2: Globalization and Work in Canada
Chapter 3: The Unhealthy Canadian Workplace
Part II: Work, Inequality, and Difference
Chapter 4: Gender, Work, and Social Reproduction
Chapter 5: Race, Racialization, and Racism at Work
Chapter 6: The Inaccessible Canadian Workplace
Chapter 7: Troubled Transitions: Into and Out of the Labour Force Over the Life Course
Part III: Contemporary Workers’ Movements in Canada
Chapter 8: The Impact of Unions
Chapter 9: Workers’ Movements in the 21st Century
Part IV: The Changing World of Work
Chapter 10: Work, Technology, and the Digital Economy
Chapter 11: Improving Work: Reforming or Transforming Wage Labour?
Appendix A: Internet Resources
Appendix B: Suggested Films and Videos
Bibliography
Copyright Acknowledgements
Index
Biography
Mark P. Thomas is Professor of Sociology at York University. He is former Director of the Global Labour Research Centre at York and has been a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Political Economy, Carleton University, and a Visiting Researcher at Institut de Recherches Sociologiques, Université de Genève. His research is situated in the fields of political economy, economic sociology, and the sociology of work and explores the impacts of digital technologies on working time, the implications of populism for workers’ movements, and the regulation of employment standards.
Adam D.K. King is an Assistant Professor in the Labour Studies Program at the University of Manitoba. He has published articles and book chapters on the politics and social consequences of deindustrialization, employment standards enforcement, union organizing, and labour market policy.
Andrew Jackson spent most of his career as Chief Economist and Director of Social and Economic Policy with the Canadian Labour Congress. Since retiring from the CLC in 2012, he has been senior policy adviser to the Broadbent Institute and spent two years as the Packer Visiting Professor of Social Justice at York University.
“In this extensively revised fourth edition, Thomas, King, and Jackson provide a comprehensive analysis of the evolving landscape of work in Canada. Work and Labour in Canada is not only well written but also synthesizes a wealth of data in an accessible manner. With its critical perspective, this book is an invaluable resource for educators, students, and researchers eager to understand the significant transformations occurring in Canadian workplaces.”
—Larry Savage, Professor, Department of Labour Studies, Brock University
“Work and Labour in Canada is the best available introduction to the subject. The authors have produced a welcome new edition that gives more attention to technology and work as well as updated treatment of the many issues covered by this book. This new edition will be useful for students and anyone else who wants to understand work in Canada today.”
—David Camfield, Program Coordinator, Labour Studies, and Professor, Sociology and Criminology, University of Manitoba
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