Work and Labour in Canada: Critical Issues

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. This 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. --Publisher's description. Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-322) and index. Contents: The world of work in the 21st century -- Work, wages, and living standards in Canada -- Education, training, and lifelong learning : tensions and contradictions -- The unhealthy Canadian workplace -- Gender, work, and social reproduction -- Race, racialization, and racism at work -- The inaccessible Canadian workplace -- Troubled transitions : into and out of the labour force -- The impact of unions -- Workers' movements in the new millennium -- Globalization and work in Canada -- Improving work : reforming or transforming wage labour?