Premium
Three scenarios for the future of work
Author(s) -
MÉDA Dominique
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international labour review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.433
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1564-913X
pISSN - 0020-7780
DOI - 10.1111/ilr.12157
Subject(s) - work (physics) , rhetoric , value (mathematics) , technological change , industrial revolution , technological revolution , action (physics) , transition (genetics) , sociology , law and economics , economics , political science , law , economy , engineering , computer science , mechanical engineering , philosophy , linguistics , physics , quantum mechanics , machine learning , macroeconomics , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
After presenting a historical overview of the concept of work and the different meanings that it has acquired over the centuries, the author analyses the value it holds for Europeans, and the impact on work and employment of the popular rhetoric about a technological revolution and its “inevitable” consequences. She then considers the future of work in the light of three scenarios: a “dismantling of labour law”, a “technological revolution” (where automation brings an end to employment), and an “environmental transition”. She argues that the latter is compatible with the imperative to take action on climate change and the expectations placed in work and employment.