Insecurity, Precarious Work and Labour Markets

Precarity is a key theme in political discourse, in media and academic discussions of employment, and within the labour movement. Often, the prevailing idea is of an endless march of precarity, rendering work ever more contingent and workers ever more disposable. However, this detailed study of the UK labour force challenges the picture of rising precarity and widespread use of temporary employment, suggesting instead that employment tenure and the extent of temporary work have proved stubbornly stable over the past four decades.

Choonara offers a new approach to labour markets, drawing on the theoretical underpinnings of Marxist political economy to interrogate research data from the UK. This book examines why, despite the deteriorating conditions in work, employment relations have remained stable, and offers insight into the extent of subjective insecurity among workers. Insecurity, Precarious Work and Labour Markets will be of use to students and scholars across the sociology of work, labour economics, industrial relations and political economy.

In a world where truth is considered elusive, successfully disputing an orthodoxy which excites strong emotions calls for extraordinary efforts. Joseph Choonara sets out to persuade the majority that some of the things they think they know about the modern world are wrong. He succeeds because of his considerable diligence and skill. In this landmark book, we also learn about the ways in which work is really getting worse and how workers can resist this.” (Ralph Fevre, Professor of Social Research, Cardiff University, UK)

“This book is long overdue, and turns upside-down the widely held 'common-sense' view that job insecurity has been increasing over the past 30+ years. Choonara’s careful and scholarly research shows that the mountain of popular and academic literature either claiming or assuming that job insecurity in the UK has been on an upward trajectory is plain wrong. This leads to a fascinating reconsideration of the nature of the neoliberal era and of the balance of power between labour and capital: a must-read for all labour market students and researchers.” (Brendan Burchell, Director of Graduate Education, Department of Sociology and Fellow, Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, UK)

“In his excellent investigation of insecurity and precarious work, Joseph Choonara lays down a challenge to conventional wisdom. Widely held views about the ‘end of jobs for life’, atypical employment and the new temporalities of working time are exposed to sustained empirical examination and are left with little support. But this is more than a debunking of the orthodoxy, this work offers an explanation for the gap between public perception and statistical reality, and in this way he has taken the debate forward.” (Kevin Doogan, Jean Monnet Professor of European Policy Studies, University of Bristol, UK)

Joseph Choonara is Lecturer in the School of Business, University of Leicester, UK.