Are Bad Jobs Inevitable? Trends, Determinants and Responses to Job Quality in the 21st Century by Chris Warhurst, Françoise Carré, Patricia Findlay and Chris Tilly Palgrave Macmillan, 2012 (1st edn), 280 pp., £33.99

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/irj.12015
• Published date: 01 November 2013
• Author: Tony Bennett
• Date: 01 November 2013

Book reviews

Are Bad Jobs Inevitable? Trends, Determinants and Responses to Job Quality in the

21st Century

Chris Warhurst, Françoise Carré, Patricia Findlay and Chris Tilly

Palgrave Macmillan, 2012 (1st edn), 280 pp., £33.99

This authoritative collection of studies into the world of work in the 21st century is

underpinned by a key proposition set out at the start of the book that ‘job quality,

not just job creation matters’. Utilising a cross-national thematic approach, the

book offers evidence that existing conceptual and practical models of work analysis,

although valuable, do not fully capture the increasingly complex and multidimen-

sional nature of job creation and attrition in today’s global labour market. Cru-

cially, the fundamental argument of the book is that good quality work benefits

both the individual and the economy immaterial of its physical location in the

world. Also that ultimately some degree of effective job regulation at the global

level needs consideration. The book is also opportune in its publication given the

ongoing debate in the UK and others countries in terms of government strategy

supporting the supply of skills for the labour market alone. In practical terms, there

is clear guidance to both policy makers and HR practitioners from the findings and

analysis offered in this book. The book is set out in three parts that consider com-

parative approaches, sectoral approaches and workplace practices and the role of

public agency.

In part one, Anton and his team provide a very useful job quality index in a

comparative assessment of job characteristics across the EU. Significantly, concluding

that increasing the number of quality jobs does not adversely impact on overall

employment numbers. Osterman concurs with this point, also challenging other

‘myths that block action’ such as improving job quality reduces economic perfor-

mance and the whole notion that the current and dominant market model is fit for

purpose. This is a key theme of the book. Carre and Tilly’s transnational study of

entry level jobs in the retail sector demonstrates the extra insight to be gained on

aspects of job quality by a sectoral or ‘meso-level’ approach to analysis.

In part two, Huzzard reveals that even in the apparent bastion of ‘good work’,

Swedish manufacturing workers have fallen victim to some degree to the neoliberal

triumvirate of lean production, downsizing and the pursuit of short-term capital

gain. The impact of ‘lean’ is also identified by Rothstein in his comparative study of

Mexican and US car workers. He notes that despite its post-Fordist claims, lean

production for most workers is ultimately about work intensification and deskilling.

In contrast, Lambert and Henly’s research on retail workers offers useful insight

into job quality, for instance, the intervention by shop managers against corporatist

Industrial Relations Journal 44:5–6, 584–589

ISSN 0019-8692

© 2013 Brian Towers (BRITOW) and John Wiley & Sons Ltd