ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on patterns of change in work and non-work in Western Europe. It considers paid and unpaid work, and deals with non-work in relation to unemployment and to retirement. The book describes the unemployed and the unemployment trap that hinders them from getting back into to the labour market, and analyses how the neo-liberal doctrine of economic behaviour and justice affects the trade-off between social concern and individual responsibility. It discusses issues relating to migration and welfare policies among member states of the European Union to overcome segregated labour markets. The book compares labour market and welfare state reforms in five European countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. It describes the new technologies and the increasing demands among customers and argues that the introduction of information and communications technology has changed the fundamental nature of business.
