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Work in Britain's Informal Economy: Learning from Road†Side Hand Car Washes

Author

Listed:
  • Ian Clark
  • Trevor Colling

Abstract

The United Kingdom has over 10,000 hand car washes (HCWs). This article examines two research questions: what do HCWs reveal about the informalization of employment? and what is the prospect of regulation of them? Setting HCWs in a theoretical framework shows that they are part of a growing industry which is becoming an increasingly familiar and visible part of the economy, where control of labour costs is a key factor. Employers make a strategic choice to engage precarious and vulnerable, usually migrant, labour securing further competitive advantage at the cost of pronounced labour exploitation and long hours — the tendency towards informalization. Therein a low†cost business model disciplines competition to usurp higher productivity mechanized car washing.

Suggested Citation

  • Ian Clark & Trevor Colling, 2018. "Work in Britain's Informal Economy: Learning from Road†Side Hand Car Washes," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 56(2), pages 320-341, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:brjirl:v:56:y:2018:i:2:p:320-341
    DOI: 10.1111/bjir.12286
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Ana Aliverti, 2023. "Law in the Margins: Economies of Illegality and Contested Sovereignties," The British Journal of Criminology, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, vol. 63(4), pages 1024-1040.
    3. Alicja Bobek & James Wickham, 2018. "Blurring boundaries: informal practices in formal employment in Ireland," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(4), pages 336-351, July.
    4. Thomas Hastings & Andrew Herod, 2024. "Labour geography and the state: Exploring labour's role in working against, with and through the state to improve labour standards," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 56(1), pages 59-79, February.
    5. Gabriella Cioce & Ian Clark & James Hunter, 2022. "How does informalisation encourage or inhibit collective action by migrant workers? A comparative analysis of logistics warehouses in Italy and hand car washes in Britain," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 126-141, March.
    6. Ian Clark, 2025. "Hard‐to‐Reach Insider Actors on Light‐Touch Labour Market Regulation in the UK: Compliance, Deterrence, and Intelligence?," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(6), pages 441-450, October.
    7. Ian Clark & Alan Collins & James Hunter & Richard Pickford & Jack Barratt & Huw Fearnall-Williams, 2023. "Persistently non-compliant employment practice in the informal economy: permissive visibility in a multiple regulator setting," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 47(3), pages 611-632.

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