The Future of Work

What are the trends shaping the future of work? How can unions respond in ways that will invigorate the labor movement for the 21st century? A paper addresses these questions by first presenting a critique of the future-of-work literature, followed by a detailed analysis of the best available Canadian evidence of the major forces already exerting pressures for change on workplaces. The shape of tomorrow's workplace is visible today. Unions will continue to play a vital role in Canadian society by adapting their organizing and collective bargaining strategies to the often contradictory economic, labor market, organizational, human resource management, and demographic trends evident today.