SIX PATHS FOR THE ‘FUTURE OF WORK’ LABOUR LAW

The analysis of the ‘future of work’ highlights the impact of new technology, raising two main concerns regarding the disruption of work as we know it: the possibility of a jobless future and the changing nature of waged work. Considering the expected scope of change, it is expected that as long as the existing body of labour law remains stable, there will be a gradual erosion of labour law’s telos and its effects. This chapter draws on the political economy of incremental change, outlining alternative paths for labour law-ranging from layering of existing norms and institutions, constantly tracking changes in the labour market; a conversion of labour law to the law that configures the market itself; or a conversion to public law-separating public income assurance and a guarantee of security from having a job; and far-reaching attempts to rethink the structure of markets altogether.