Work and Labour: Critical Issues

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.

Work and Labour in Canada, Fourth Edition explores the ever-changing world of work, critically interrogating how and why precarious labour, income inequality, and employer control are on the rise in Canada today. Thomas, King, and Jackson cover a breadth of pressing labour issues, including young workers struggling to find employment, older workers facing diminishing retirement prospects, new technologies reshaping work, and the shifting role of unions and other organizations. To this latest edition, the authors add conversations on basic income, climate change, and the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the economic, social, and political factors that shape workplaces through detailed analyses and the latest statistical data.

Written with students and instructors in mind, each chapter includes illustrative media excerpts, recommended readings, and discussion questions to guide classroom conversations, in addition to end-of-book appendices with useful online resources and suggested films and videos. Work and Labour in Canada is well suited for teachers, researchers, labour activists, and students of labour studies, sociology, political science, political economy, and economic geography programs across the country.