ABSTRACT
Without reiterating all the arguments, there seems no reason to doubt that work remains central to human existence. The legacy of the idea that “the job” is an outof date concept (about which, in any case, one hears much less today) is that we know employment today to be highly diverse, not that people’s need for meaning has changed. What varies is how available work is, where and how it is carried out, the degree of protection available to those who do it, how it is rewarded, the technologies and laws and practices that shape its nature—in other words, the political, economic, managerial and technical contexts that shape both people’s overall work experience and the actual tasks that they carry out. Within these varying contexts it is possible to influence the nature of work in directions that help rather than hinder human development and the satisfaction that people can gain from their work. Quite often this happens by chance in any case—satisfaction and development may be found in many jobs. But enough is known for this not to have to be a matter of chance. It is not more knowledge that is needed, but institutional will.
