Professor Noel Whiteside, a member of the research team currently undertaking a comprehensive investigation of precarious employment with particular reference to opportunities for young people, has just published a policy paper drawing on lessons from the past.

The Taylor Report, published today (Tuesday 11 July), assumes the gig economy is novel. This is far from the case. IT platforms offer a new mode of job management. But over a century ago, irregular work and incomes were acknowledged to be a principal cause of poverty and social dependency, a source of economic inefficiency, a harbinger of poor health and lost working capacity. This perspective explains why permanent work contracts spread in ensuing decades. Today, such job security for young people is rare as we go back to a future of casual work.

Her article, 'Flexible employment and casual labour: a historical perspective on labour market policy', is available here.

Professor Whiteside can be contacted by email at N.Whiteside@warwick.ac.uk or by phone on 07974431577