{"product_id":"disposable-workers-the-transformation-of-employment","title":"Disposable Workers: The Transformation of Employment","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eDisposable Workers\u003c\/i\u003e is a deep and important look at a disturbing trend: the unfortunate Uberization of the US economy, in which corporations increasingly regard employees not as valuable assets but as pawns to be casually tossed aside. As Paul Osterman makes clear, companies are offering less and less of what workers need: steady employment with good wages, benefits, and promotions. These corporate practices are badly squeezing millions of Americans.--Steven Greenhouse, author of \n\u003ci\u003eBeaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe decline of unions and the explosion of inequality underlie this prescient and scrupulously documented account of the current and future precarity of the American workforce, and the associated threat this poses to the very foundation of our democracy. Paul Osterman employs his well-honed observations and analytic genius to expose a bifurcated system, whereby a growing number of contract and freelance workers are left to the whims of employers unconstrained by regulations or commitment. A stunning and terrifying cautionary tale.--Ellen Ruppel Shell, author of \n\u003ci\u003eThe Job: Work and Its Future in a Time of Radical Change\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eDisposable Workers\u003c\/i\u003e identifies the profoundly important new development of marginal employees who have no real prospects of stability or career advancement, and who far outnumber the much-discussed 'gig workers.' Even at companies we think of as the best employers, the growing ranks of employees who churn through these marginalized jobs is an important and underappreciated factor in the loss of the American Dream.--Peter Cappelli, author of \n\u003ci\u003eOur Least Important Asset: Why the Relentless Focus on Finance and Accounting is Bad for Business and Employees\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eDisposable Workers\u003c\/i\u003e is a carefully researched and engaging book documenting the degradation of employment in recent decades. Combining original survey data, insightful analysis of recent literature, and a cornucopia of worker accounts, Paul Osterman provides a counterweight to oversimplified accounts of the 'future of work, ' shedding new light on the eroding conditions facing millions of workers and the difficult but critical reforms required to address them.--David Weil, author of \n\u003ci\u003eThe Fissured Workplace: Why Work Became So Bad for So Many and What Can Be Done to Improve It\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIt is tempting to say that Paul Osterman's greatest contribution in \n\u003ci\u003eDisposable Workers\u003c\/i\u003e is the important new survey information he introduces. But what is most impressive is his incisive analysis of what the data--placed alongside a large body of other research and framed in historical context--tells us about work in America today. Osterman paints a picture full of nuance and complexity without ever obscuring the main point: Far too many employers are willing to treat their workers as dispensable as a way to hold down costs and maximize profits.--Rick Wartzman, author of \n\u003ci\u003eThe End of Loyalty: The Rise and Fall of Good Jobs in America\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrief Description\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Over 35 percent of American workers are not treated as standard employees, denied both benefits and access to a career ladder. Paul Osterman surveyed more than 6,000 people to understand what it means to be a disposable worker. Noting that most would prefer traditional employment, Osterman offers proposals for job-quality reform.\"-- Provided by publisher.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWell-researched, providing valuable quantitative and qualitative analysis of the complex changes in work, Osterman's book is essential for readers interested in business, employer\/employee relations, and labor policy.--Jane Scott \"Library Journal\" (6\/1\/2026 12:00:00 AM)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA revealing look at the decline in formal employment in favor of hiring contractors, freelancers, temps, and marginal workers, who are excluded from traditional benefits and career ladders.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCompanies cannot exist without workers, but they are increasingly reluctant to have employees. Instead of providing the benefits and protections that have traditionally come with employee status, businesses are turning to tactics that let them treat people as interchangeable parts, to be used and discarded as needed. Drawing on an original survey of over 6,000 workers, \n\u003ci\u003eDisposable Workers\u003c\/i\u003e reveals the striking extent of this transformation across the occupational hierarchy, affecting everyone from janitors to nurses. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePaul Osterman identifies three distinct categories of disposable workers: contractors, freelancers, and marginal employees. The marginal category, unique to Osterman's analysis, describes workers who are employees from a narrow legal standpoint but are held at arm's length by their firm--left without job security, skill training, or opportunities for promotion. Many low-wage service workers toil in marginal jobs, but so do white-collar professionals such as adjunct university faculty and staff attorneys at law firms. When the three categories are added up, they account for more than 35 percent of the American workforce. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNot all disposable workers object to their arrangements. But most contractors and marginal employees would prefer standard employment, and there is a significant cost to their current status. In response, \n\u003ci\u003eDisposable Workers\u003c\/i\u003e offers a range of policy recommendations, including mechanisms to prevent over-reliance on contracting and freelancing as well as reforms to improve job quality for part-timers and marginal employees. As the deconstruction of employment affects more and more workers, the importance of such measures will only grow. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/span\u003e 06\/01\/2026 pg. 95 (EAN 9780674300248, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContributor Bio:\u003c\/strong\u003eOsterman, Paul\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPaul Osterman is Professor Emeritus of Human Resources and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His numerous books include \n\u003ci\u003eGood Jobs America, Who Will Care for Us?\u003c\/i\u003e and \n\u003ci\u003eThe Truth about Middle Managers\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Harvard University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496032469270,"sku":"9780674300248","price":35.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9780674300248.jpg?v=1783051178","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/disposable-workers-the-transformation-of-employment","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}