The End of Jobs: How Gig Work and Job Deconstruction Are Transforming the World of Work

How work is organised had been relatively stable since the early 20th century. Individuals typically worked in jobs based in organisations and enjoyed the benefits of employment. This included protection through legislation around how employment was managed. These positions typically sat in career structures where individuals entered at the lower levels of organisational hierarchies and often progressed their careers by moving up through a career path in the organisation. Over time there was somewhat of a breakdown in internal careers, as individuals no longer considered one's job as being for life and instead moved between organisations to build their careers. However, occupations remained a relatively constant reference point for individuals in their careers. In this chapter, we consider this historical context of jobs and how recent years have witnessed a breakdown in how we think about and understand employment. We highlight the gig economy and internal job deconstruction as key examples of this breakdown and consider what this means for work and employment. We conclude by considering the implications of these changes for individuals, organisations and society.