Main Patterns of Employment Change at the Global Level

This chapter summarizes the main findings of the book, focusing first on variations in employment trends across countries and periods. We identify job upgrading and polarization as the primary patterns of employment restructuring. Our analysis of 17 countries reveals that occupational upgrading has been the dominant trend in the early twenty-first century, with notable instances of job polarization primarily occurring in France, the US and South Korea. These findings align with recent sociological literature while challenging economic perspectives that emphasize widespread job polarization. Factors such as technological advancements, educational attainment, deagrarianization and tertiarization are significant drivers of these patterns, though country-specific elements like institutional settings and socio-demographic changes also play crucial roles. Secondly, regarding trends by gender, we highlight a global shift towards feminization and increased female participation in the labour market, which has generally led to occupational upgrading for women. However, exceptions exist where feminization aligns with job polarization, particularly in countries such as the US, South Korea and France. Finally, sectoral employment shifts indicate that private services have been the primary driver of job growth, followed by public services. While private services tend to grow in a polarized manner, public services generally promote job upgrading. South Korea is notable exception in this regard for its high proportion of low-paid public service jobs. This comprehensive overview underscores the complex interplay of global, national and sectoral factors in shaping employment patterns worldwide, although some common trends are found.