The Future of Work in Massachusetts

Taking a multidisciplinary approach, this work examines the impact of offshoring and outsourcing and the growth of low-wage employment in the service sector. It offers an overview of the economics of work in Massachusetts, an analysis of the experience of women and minorities in the workforce, and a case study of the fiscal crisis in Springfield.

Across Massachusetts, workers in virtually all sectors of the economy are facing reorganization, new technology, and the intensification of expectations and demands. With globalization, smaller employers are increasingly becoming part of large multinational companies, and workers are now forced to compete on a world stage. The result is that long-term, stable jobs are disappearing as work has become more temporary, part-time, and contingent. This volume offers a collection of original essays that explore the changing nature of work in the Commonwealth and its impact on workers, their families, and their communities. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, the contributors examine the impact of offshoring and outsourcing and the growth of low-wage employment in the service sector, while also looking at the software industry and the future of high-tech jobs. The volume includes an overview of the economics of work in Massachusetts, an analysis of the experience of women and minorities in the workforce, and a case study of the fiscal crisis in Springfield and its relationship to employment issues. Several chapters address the challenges and prospects in the health care industry. Finally, a number of authors examine the complex ways in which these adjustments in the nature of work play out in families across the state, and how policy changes could help workers and their families adjust to these new environments. In addition to Tom Juravich, contributors include Randy Albelda, Mark Brenner, Kate Bronfenbrenner, Heather Bourne, Alan Clayton-Matthews, Dan Clawson, Xiaogang Deng, Robert Forrant, Naomi Gerstel, Dana Huyser, Marlene Kim, Sarah Kuhn, William Lazonick, Stephanie Luce, Karen Meteyer, Maureen Perry-Jenkins, Steven Quimby, Pauala Rayman, Randall P. Wilson, and Lening Zhang.