Professor Jill Rubery provides a case study of care work in the UK which demonstrates that although technology facilitates and heightens fragmented scheduling it is not the driving force in this sector. Rather the motivation is securing adequate labour supply to cover changing demands at a low cost due to social care being commissioned strictly on the basis of care delivered. Zero hour contracts are used to ensure that workers simply have no choice but to accept changes in the composition of their work. This commodification of labour has the effect of shifting the risk of changing demand onto workers and increasing work intensity.

This talk was recorded at the Oxford University Digital Transformations of Work Conference as part of Green Templeton College’s Future of Work Programme. This event brought together leading experts on work, employment and labour markets to discuss how the internet and digital platforms are transforming the world of work. It took place at Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, on 10 March 2016.

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