The concept of 'cradle to grave' employment doesn't exist anymore, if it ever did. Job security is not with the company. To a certain extent there's sort of a survival of the fittest. It's important that business be able to compete effectively, Clark adds. But a strategy that moves forward on one front but moves backward on a social front is not a long-term strategy.
Most experts agree on the rapidity with which change is occurring in the workplace.
Where they differ is over the inevitability of the process. For instance, Benner notes that the United States could regulate its temporary help industry. Most of the industrialized nations stipulate the percentage of temps a company can employ, how long they can use them, and what benefits they must offer. Strober proposes that health benefits and pensions be made portable. Working Partnerships USA is exploring the idea of organizing a worker-run hiring hall, a strategy being pioneered by the telecommunications union, Communications Workers of America.