The Post-Industrialism Era

1771 Words4 Pages

The era of post-industrialism refers to a period of change where a society advances from a manufacturing base, to a society reliant on knowledge, services, and research. What emerges from the remains of the industrial society is a society based around services, contracts, precariousness, segmentation, and insecurity, etc. Divided are the prospects for this globalized, post-industrial society. People question who will benefit from this new era of globalization. Some view the post-industrial era as one that offers opportunities for the well-educated, creative, and young professional while others view it as an era involving less security, job deskilling and high levels of inequality (Krahn, Lowe, Hughes, 2008). If one of the main consequences of post-industrialism is a widening gap between the “haves” and the “have not’s” then who are those who make up these two distinct groups? The re-organization of work in the 21st century marks a shift from manufacturing to services. By 2004, 74 percent of employed Canadians held service-sector jobs, 21 percent in the secondary sector, and 5 percent in the primary industries (Krahn, Lowe, Hughes, 2008; Bowlby 2000). We can divide these service jobs into two distinct groups, upper-tier jobs and lower-tier jobs. The upper-tier jobs are referred to as the “good” jobs while the lower-tier jobs can be considered the “bad” jobs. Dominating the lower-tier are women, youth, immigrants, and those with less than a high-school diploma. Jobs in this tier include retail, hospitality, customer service jobs such as call centres and help desks, janitorial work, etc. Many of these jobs are part-time, temporary or contractual, therefore preventing workers from obtaining the same benefits that many o... ... middle of paper ... ...e potential for a highly fragmented and highly unequal job market or one that embraces the changes listed above and works towards better unity amongst workers, unions, and government. Works Cited Krahn, Lowe, Hughes (2008) Work, Industry, & Canadian Society. (5th ed.) Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd. Athabasca University (2010) Sociology 321 Reading File. Athabasca, AB: Athabasca University Critoph, U (2010) Sociology 321 Study Guide. (Revised edition). Athabasca, AB: Athabasca University Krahn, H (1991) Non-Standard Work Arrangements. (Vol.3,No. 4) Statistics Canada, Catalogue 75-001E) Lowe, G. (1998) The future of Work: Implications for Unions. (Vol. 53, No.2) Montreal, Quebec. Retrieved May 2012 from http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/005291ar Betcherman, G.; Lowe, G.(1997) The future of work in Canada: A Synthesis Report. Ottawa ON: CPRN Inc.

Show More
Related

  • Impact of World War 2 on Canada

    461 Words  | 1 Pages

    Because of Canada’s boost in the industrial economy and its status in World War II, job options were abundant. By 1942 there was a full employment as hundreds and thousands of Canadian men and women found work in war industries.

    Read More

  • Canadian Technological Advancement in the 20th Century

    1259 Words  | 3 Pages

    Newman, Garfield et al. Canada A Nation Unfolding. Toronto: Mc Graw – Hill Ryerson Limited, 2000.

    Read More

  • Precarious Employment In Canada

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    This article stated that, according to a study conducted by the United Way and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), approximately 40% of young workers in Ontario are in jobs classified as part-time, temporary or self-employed. The same study also found that less than half of part-time/temporary workers were able to transition into full-time higher-wage work and, perhaps most importantly, the percentage of those able to transition will likely decline over the next decade. Clearly, the growth of part-time and temporary jobs has been growing on an upward trend over the past decade and appears to have become part of business as usual. A study conducted in 2015 by the United Way and the Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) states that approximately 22% of part-time/temporary work in the past year can be characterized as precarious work, i.e. work with poor or no benefits and job security. The growth in precarious employment is due to many factors including Globalization, improved technology, changes to business models, and the economic shift from manufacturing to the service sector. These shifts have essentially formed a new economy that has a high demand for fluidity and flexibility in the common workplace, and has low a demand for the old fashioned “Standard” model of the workplace (largely full-time employees with a full suite of

    Read More

  • Second-Wave Feminism and Labour in Canada

    2849 Words  | 6 Pages

    Canadian workplaces today seem to be a fairly diverse place, with a blend of many religions, ethnicities, and genders present. However, although people preach affirmative action and melting pots in current times, many inequality and power issues still abound. One strikingly noticeable example is gender discrimination. Women in the workforce face many challenges like smaller wages, harassment, male privilege in hiring or promotions, and lack of support when pregnant or raising children. One half of the planet is women, and it can be assumed the same for Canada, but they still face judgment at work because they lack the authority to dispute against big corporations or even their male supervisor. It cannot be argued that Canadian women’s status has worsened over the past hundred years, of course, thanks to feminism and activism. However, their status is not as high as it could be. Women as a group first started fighting for workplace equality during the second wave of feminism, from the 1960s to the 1990s. Legislation was approved during the second wave to try to bring gender equality to the workplace. Feminists both collided and collaborated with unions and employers to ensure women received fair treatment in an occupation. Quebec had the same issues, only the province approached the conflict differently than English Canada with its own unique viewpoint. It became clear that women were entering the workplace and did not plan on leaving. Second-wave feminism in Canada shifted power from the government and businesses to women in order to try to bring equality, although the discrimination never completely disappeared.

    Read More

  • Precarious Employment: A Growing Trend in Canada

    1590 Words  | 4 Pages

    Precarious employment is work that is not secure, generally does not include any type of benefits, and is paid so lowly that it generally does not meet the living wage. This type of employment is unfortunately a growing trend in today’s societies due to many factors such as outsourcing, globalization, a saturated job market, shifts from manufacturing to the service sector and jobs also being replaced by computerized units. When speaking on precariousness these trends also affect European societies due to the fact that the outsourcing is generally to places where labour is extremely cheap in order to lower the costs of goods such as Asia and South America. This growing trend is also resulting in negative effects on the economy such as the bottoming out of the middle class and a large amount of citizens living below the poverty line and not able to earn a livable wage. Minimum Wage is on the incline, however, it is still not enough to live on practically and there are many other factors that make precarious work disadvantageous other than the wages such as job security and room for growth and promotion within the company. The negative changes to the job market brought on by the changes to it have resulted in higher expectations and demands from the employers which reduce the amount of people which are eligible for what are now known as “good jobs”. These good jobs generally entail a livable wage, benefits, more flexibility and better job security. Precarious work is categorized and gendered as women and immigrants make up the vast majority of employees in this type of work. Since precarious work affects citizens on a global scale, in this essay, there will be comparisons and contrasts drawn between precarious work in Canada ...

    Read More

  • The History of the American Labor Union

    2294 Words  | 5 Pages

    Beginning in the late 1700’s and growing rapidly even today, labor unions form the backbone for the American workforce and continue to fight for the common interests of workers around the country. As we look at the history of these unions, we see powerful individuals such as Terrence Powderly, Samuel Gompers, and Eugene Debs rise up as leaders in a newfound movement that protected the rights of the common worker and ensured better wages, more reasonable hours, and safer working conditions for those people (History). The rise of these labor unions also warranted new legislation that would protect against child labor in factories and give health benefits to workers who were either retired or injured, but everyone was not on board with the idea of foundations working to protect the interests of the common worker. Conflict with their industries lead to many strikes across the country in the coal, steel, and railroad industries, and several of these would ultimately end up leading to bloodshed. However, the existence of labor unions in the United States and their influence on their respective industries still resonates today, and many of our modern ideals that we have today carry over from what these labor unions fought for during through the Industrial Revolution.

    Read More

  • The White-Collar Union Organizer and The Frustrated Labor Historians

    2269 Words  | 5 Pages

    To conclude this analysis on the basis of the labor’s extensive history, Sloane & Witney (2010) propose, “it is entirely possible that labor’s remarkable staying power has been because of the simple fact that to many workers, from the nineteenth century to the present, there really has been no acceptable substitute for collective bargaining as a means of maintaining and improving employment conditions” (p.80). In the end, it is important to anticipate unions and employers presently work together to find solutions that will enhance collective bargaining strategies and practices to serve the interest of both parties.

    Read More

  • Women and Poverty in Canada

    2495 Words  | 5 Pages

    Stienstra, D., Brewer, N., & Stinson, J. (2010). Factsheet Women and Restructuring in Canada. CRIAW ICREF, 1-16.

    Read More

  • Labor Unions Are Useless

    1754 Words  | 4 Pages

    Prah, Pamela M. "Labor Unions' Future." CQ Researcher 2 Sept. 2005: 709-32. Web. 26 Oct. 2012.

    Read More

  • Sociology of the Workplace

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    The structural-functional analysis of jobs in the U.S. is governed by the workforce stratification and technology. The more educated and diverse a society is the better society’s job market is served. This social economic separation of class has been both good and bad for society. Many workers at the lower levels of employment are both pleased and displeased with many aspects of work. Though this fact also holds true with most any job at any level, pay scale often compensates for endurance of a particular job type. The security of a person’s job also is an issue that in today’s economic times forces one to be prepared for change. This is to say that even if one’s field of expertise is needed today it may not be tomorrow. This type of ever-changing job market leads many to believe that another socio-economic change may occur at any time. This change was apparent with the transition into the industrial age and again in the information age. These concerns caused stress, various health issues, a...

    Read More

  • American Workaholics

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    The excessive work load we’ve become accustomed to here in America, coupled with an ever increasing amount of social change, has left the American middle class workforc...

    Read More

  • Unions Vs Neoliberalism

    401 Words  | 1 Pages

    63). The reason workers form a union is to achieve higher income, improved benefits, better and safe working conditions, greater security in jobs and finally equal treatment (Ross, Savage, Silver & Black, 2015, p. 71). I believe that unions are very beneficial as it allows an individual to share his/her voice in the workplace. I would be in a union because of all the significant factors they are able to achieve and able to talk about issues or problems that need to be addressed. The essay will be addressing three main categories which include unions, neoliberalism, unemployment and rise of precarious/part time work. The first paragraph of the essay will be talking about the main purpose of a union and strategies that need take place in order to avoid complications and issues. The second paragraph of the essay will be addressing neoliberalism and their main focus is on. The third paragraph will conclude the issues facing workers such as unemployment and rise of precarious/part time

    Read More

  • Shortage of Skilled workers

    1882 Words  | 4 Pages

    The shortage of skilled workers in the coming decade poses a serious threat to all aspects of the Canadian economy. Like all others, our economy is comprised of three major elements: primary products, secondary goods and services. My research indicates that primary products constitute just over 7% of Canada's GDP, secondary goods account for 21%, and the services comprise 72%. This distribution although heavily in favor of the service industry still shows the importance of the secondary/manufacturing industry in Canada's modern day economy. Taking into fact that since the late nineteenth century, Canada's centre of manufacturing is focused in two provinces, Ontario and Quebec. Consistently, year after year, Ontario contributes about 50% of the Canadian total of manufactured goods produced, measured by value, and Quebec 25%.

    Read More

  • Trade Unions Case Study

    1604 Words  | 4 Pages

    Trade unions are widely known as one form of employees’ representation which aims to translate employee’s interests in relationships with employers. The presence of trade unions in many countries is relatively associated with attempts to improve employment conditions. While some unions are concerned to assist employees and employers in resolving employment relations problems, the others may involve political activities in campaigning unions’ objectives on government policies. Despite the fact that it could be formed by voluntary or laws, some economists argue that trade unions could reduce economic efficiency. On the other hands, the existence of unions are also believed could relatively improve employee’s performance. In the contention of

    Read More

  • Labour Relations Case Study

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    Canadian labour relations strategy requires a new pattern styles to adjust to the realities of labour in the twenty first century. Governments should focus on rapid growth in between trade unions, not on expensive and unwanted process. A strategy focused on competition recognizes the proper limit and role of government and unions, make unions and are responsible for the innovative developments for the labour organization and their drives in to company growth.

    Read More

More about The Post-Industrialism Era

Open Document