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Over the last few decades, the workplace in Canada has experienced profound changes. Work has become increasingly insecure for a growing number of people, young workers struggle to match qualifications and credentials with jobs, and 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.
The third edition of Work and Labour in Canada maps out major trends and patterns that define working life, and identifies the economic, social, and political factors that shape the contemporary workplace. While evaluating working conditions and job quality from a critical perspective, the authors point towards possibilities for a more equitable and democratic future of work. Thoroughly updated and featuring recommended readings, internet resources, and a new chapter on disability and work, this revised edition is an essential textbook for teachers, researchers, labour activists, and students of labour studies and sociology of work.
- establishes connections between changing work conditions and deepening inequality in Canada
- includes a list of suggested recommended readings and internet resources
Table of Contents
List of Tables and Figures
List of Boxes
Preface to the Third Edition
Part I: Working in Precarious Times
Chapter 1: The World of Work in the 21st Century
Chapter 2: Work, Wages, and Living Standards in Canada
Chapter 3: Education, Training, and Lifelong Learning: Tensions and Contradictions
Chapter 4: The Unhealthy Canadian Workplace
Part II: Work, Inequality, and Difference
Chapter 5: Gender, Work, and Social Reproduction
Chapter 6: Race, Racialization, and Racism at Work
Chapter 7: The Inaccessible Canadian Workplace
Chapter 8: Troubled Transitions: Into and Out of the Labour Force
Part III: Contemporary Workers’ Movements in Canada
Chapter 9: The Impact of Unions
Chapter 10: Workers’ Movements in the New Millennium
Part IV: The Canadian Workplace in the Global Economy
Chapter 11: Globalization and Work in Canada
Chapter 12: Improving Work: Reforming or Transforming Wage Labour?
Appendix I: Internet Resources
"Work and Labour in Canada: Critical Issues is the best introduction to the subject that’s available. Mark Thomas has broadened its scope, deepened its analysis, and updated the data it presents. This new edition will be really useful for students and anyone else who wants to understand work in Canada today."— David Camfield, Labour Studies and Sociology, University of Manitoba
"In this refreshingly updated third edition, Jackson and Thomas tackle both the enduring patterns and the new challenges that shape the experiences of workers in today’s economy. Accessibly written and packed with cutting-edge research on our workplaces, labour markets, and workers’ movements, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand work in the 21st century."— Stephanie Ross, School of Labour Studies, McMaster University, and President, Canadian Association for Work and Labour Studies
General Student Resource - Download