Reflections on work and employment into the 21st century: between equal rights, force decides

In this introductory article, the editors of Work, Employment and Society reflect on the journal’s body of published work and present the main contributions of the 25-year anniversary issue. As a journal of record WES is now well established and offers extensive conceptual insights into, and empirical analysis of, contemporary trends and experiences of work, employment and unemployment. Yet academic scholarship should also aspire to comment, critique and counter; four themes are elaborated, with reference to the issue’s contributions, to illustrate this: labour market change; work in the service sector; post-Fordism, disconnection and financialization; and moral economy and counter movements.