About this episode

Paul Osterman discusses the rise of disposable workers and the decline of formal employment.

A revealing look at the decline in formal employment in favor of hiring contractors, freelancers, temps, and marginal workers, who are excluded from traditional benefits and career ladders. Companies cannot exist without workers, but they are increasingly reluctant to have employees. Instead of providing the benefits and protections that have traditionally come with employee status, businesses are turning to tactics that let them treat people as interchangeable parts, to be used and discarded as needed. Drawing on an original survey of over 6,000 workers, Disposable Workers: The Transformation of Employment (Harvard University Press, 2026) reveals the striking extent of this transformation across the occupational hierarchy, affecting everyone from janitors to nurses. Paul Osterman identifies three distinct categories of disposable workers: contractors, freelancers, and marginal employees. The marginal category, unique to Osterman’s analysis, describes workers who are employees from a narrow legal standpoint but are held at arm’s length by their firm—left without job security, skill training, or opportunities for promotion. Many low-wage service workers toil in marginal jobs, but…

People in this episode

Guest: Paul Osterman

Topics covered

• employment
• contract work
• freelancing
• worker rights
• labor market
• job security

Keywords

• disposable workers
• employment transformation
• contractors
• freelancers
• marginal employees
• labor market changes
• worker benefits

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard University Press

Books & works: Disposable Workers: The Transformation of Employment

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