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Intermediate occupations and the conceptual and empirical limitations of the hourglass economy thesis

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  • Pauline Anderson

    (University of Strathclyde, pfandersen2000@yahoo.co.uk)

Abstract

It is suggested that an hourglass-shaped occupational structure is emerging in the UK, with the polarization of jobs at top and bottom of the occupational hierarchy. Despite the implicit suggestion that jobs in the middle appear to be disappearing, somewhat paradoxically, there are ever-increasing reports of problems with recruitment and skill across intermediate occupations.This article attempts to address the paradox and propose better ways of conceptualizing what is happening to intermediate occupations within recent structural transformations. It is argued that while the hourglass economy thesis, or a variation of it, best describes recent occupational transformations, it is limited conceptually and empirically. More specifically, it neglects important dimensions of change within intermediate occupations — dimensions that may well provide a more fruitful foundation from which to explore the nature of and developments within these jobs and their broader repercussions.

Suggested Citation

  • Pauline Anderson, 2009. "Intermediate occupations and the conceptual and empirical limitations of the hourglass economy thesis," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 23(1), pages 169-180, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:23:y:2009:i:1:p:169-180
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017008099785
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paul Thompson & Chris Warhurst & George Callaghan, 2001. "Ignorant Theory and Knowledgeable Workers: Interrogating the Connections between Knowledge, Skills and Services," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(7), pages 923-942, November.
    2. Maarten Goos & Alan Manning, 2007. "Lousy and Lovely Jobs: The Rising Polarization of Work in Britain," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 89(1), pages 118-133, February.
    3. Rose, David & J. Pevalin, David, 2001. "The National Statistics Socio-economic Classification: unifying official and sociological approaches to the conceptualisation and measurement of social class," ISER Working Paper Series 2001-04, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    4. Elias, Peter & McKnight, Abigail, 2001. "Skill Measurement in Official Statistics: Recent Developments in the UK and the Rest of Europe," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 53(3), pages 508-540, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Holmes, Craig & Mayhew, Ken, 2015. "Have UK Earnings Distributions Polarised?," INET Oxford Working Papers 2015-02, Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford.
    2. Lambert, Stephanie A. & Herbert, Ian P. & Rothwell, Andrew T., 2020. "Rethinking the Career Anchors Inventory framework with insights from a finance transformation field study," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).
    3. Emily C Murphy & Daniel Oesch, 2018. "Is Employment Polarisation Inevitable? Occupational Change in Ireland and Switzerland, 1970–2010," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 32(6), pages 1099-1117, December.

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