The Disposable Work Force: Worker Displacement and Employment Instability in America

Thomas S. Moore

ISBN 10: 0202305198 / ISBN 13: 9780202305196

Published by Hawthorne, NY: Aldine De Gruyter, 1996

About this Item

1st printing. Good HC in Very Good DJ. Dark green cloth over boards, gilt titles. Bright, clean, square covers and spine; tightly bound; limited amount of highlighter/underlining in text. DJ is clean and complete. 8vo, 145 pp; index, biblio. Seller Inventory # A02398

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Disposable Work Force: Worker ...

Publisher: Hawthorne, NY: Aldine De Gruyter

Publication Date: 1996

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis:

The twenty-first century has witnessed a transformation of the organization, opportunities, and terms of work. Downsizing, restructuring, and outsourcing are the forces altering employment relationships throughout the work force. Those who tend to see the future in a positive light view the evolving role between employer and employee as empowering for the individual.

This book examines the consequences of economic instability due to job loss and the displacement of millions of workers. It draws upon case studies of worker displacement as well as national labor force surveys. Thomas S. Moore finds that consequences of economic instability are productivity slowdown, increased disparities in earnings and income, and higher average unemployment. He assesses the extent of job loss nationwide, its costs to the individuals directly affected, and the way in which the incidence of displacement and earnings loss has shifted over time. Although drawn from an earlier period, the data have an obvious relevance to today’s labor markets.

Moore argues for an employment and training system that gives employers an incentive to invest in the skills of their employees. Federally funded training programs have not improved the earning ability of displaced and disadvantaged workers, and state-sponsored programs tend to exclude those most in need of assistance. Moore suggests direct employer investment in the general skills of employees. Initially published in a different economic downturn, this continues to be a must read book for all economists, sociologists, and policymakers.

About the Author:

Thomas S. Moore is professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. His writings on employment trends and the changing attitudes of American workers have appeared in numerous professional journals, including Sociological Focus, The Journal of Intergroup Relations, and Journal of Urban Affairs.