The
economic boom of the 1990s veiled a grim reality: in addition to the
growing gap between rich and poor, the gap between good and bad quality
jobs was also expanding. The postwar prosperity of the mid-twentieth
century had enabled millions of American workers to join the middle
class, but as author Arne L. Kalleberg shows, by the 1970s this upward
movement had slowed, in part due to the steady disappearance of secure,
well-paying industrial jobs. Ever since, precarious employment has been
on the rise paying low wages, offering few benefits, and with virtually
no long-term security. Today, the polarization between workers with
higher skill levels and those with low skills and low wages is more
entrenched than ever. Good Jobs, Bad Jobs traces this trend to
large-scale transformations in the American labor market and the
changing demographics of low-wage workers. Kalleberg draws on nearly
four decades of survey data, as well as his own research, to evaluate
trends in U.S. job quality and suggest ways to improve American labor
market practices and social policies.
Good Jobs, Bad Jobs
provides an insightful analysis of how and why precarious employment is
gaining ground in the labor market and the role these developments have
played in the decline of the middle class. Kalleberg shows that by the
1970s, government deregulation, global competition, and the rise of the
service sector gained traction, while institutional protections for
workers such as unions and minimum-wage legislation weakened. Together,
these forces marked the end of postwar security for American workers.
The composition of the labor force also changed significantly; the
number of dual-earner families increased, as did the share of the
workforce comprised of women, non-white, and immigrant workers. Of
these groups, blacks, Latinos, and immigrants remain concentrated in
the most precarious and low-quality jobs, with educational attainment
being the leading indicator of who will earn the highest wages and
experience the most job security and highest levels of autonomy and
control over their jobs and schedules. Kalleberg demonstrates, however,
that building a better safety net increasing government responsibility
for worker health care and retirement, as well as strengthening unions
can go a long way toward redressing the effects of today s volatile
labor market.
There is every reason to expect that the growth of
precarious jobs which already make up a significant share of the
American job market will continue. Good Jobs, Bad Jobs deftly shows
that the decline in U.S. job quality is not the result of fluctuations
in the business cycle, but rather the result of economic restructuring
and the disappearance of institutional protections for workers. Only
government, employers and labor working together on long-term
strategies including an expanded safety net, strengthened legal
protections, and better training opportunities can help reverse this
trend.