ABSTRACT
The collapse of state socialism, together with moves towards a Single European Market, reflect current political trends which have moved in the direction of the increased 'marketization' of societies, that is, the attempt to give a greater, or freer, rein to 'market forces' in the conduct and regulation of human affairs. In the labour market, one outcome of this trend has been an increase in the level of 'non-standard' employment. By convention, 'standard' employment has been used to describe fulltime employment which is engaged in continuously over a working-age lifetime. 'Non-standard' employment relates to casual, part-time, and short contract working, as well as self-employment and outworking. Such employment has served to increase the flexibility of the workforce and, it is argued, economic competitiveness. It has therefore been, to varying degrees, positively encouraged as a policy option by governments, and indeed, has been endorsed in the European Commission White Paper (1994). More negatively, however, non-standard employment is also associated with low wages andjob insecurity, and its increase may therefore contribute to rising levels of social exclusion.
