Since the early 1980s, a vast number of jobs have been created in the
affluent economies of the industrialized world. Many workers are doing
more skilled and fulfilling jobs, and getting paid more for their
trouble. Yet it is often alleged that the quality of work life has
deteriorated, with a substantial and rising proportion of jobs providing
low wages and little security, or requiring unusually hard and stressful
effort.
In this unique and authoritative formal account of changing job quality,
economist Francis Green highlights contrasting trends, using
quantitative indicators drawn from public opinion surveys and
administrative data. In most affluent countries average pay levels have
risen along with economic growth, a major exception being the United
States. Skill requirements have increased, potentially meaning a more
fulfilling time at work. Set against these beneficial trends, however,
are increases in inequality, a strong intensification of work effort,
diminished job satisfaction, and less employee influence over daily work
tasks. Using an interdisciplinary approach, Demanding Work shows how
aspects of job quality are related, and how changes in the quality of
work life stem from technological change and transformations in the
politico-economic environment. The book concludes by discussing what
individuals, firms, unions, and governments can do to counter declining
job quality.
