Contact info

For Library research help, please contact Moninder Lalli Liaison Librarian for Labour Studies by email moninder_lalli@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian.

Research process

Start Your Research Here - This page gives you an overview of the research process, or in other words how to find materials for your essay.

Selected encyclopedias and handbooks

Use encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks to obtain definitions and overviews of a topic and also to identify key authors.

• Cambridge handbook of the changing nature of work
• Handbook Global History of Work
• Handbook of labor economics
• Handbook of Migration and Globalisation
• Handbook on the international political economy of gender 
• New Forms of Employment: Current Problems and Future Challenges
• Research handbook on leave policy : parenting and social inequalities in a global perspective 
• Routledge companion to employment relations -- search or "labour process theory" within the encyclopedia
• Sociology of work : an encyclopedia 

Find journal articles

How to find journal articles

Search for journal articles on your topic using the databases below.  From within the database, use the "Get@SFU" icon will to find copies of articles which are not full-text within the database. Limit search results to "academic / scholarly" articles.

• Sociological Abstracts - indexes journals in Sociology, labour studies and other social sciences
• Social Sciences Full Text - journals, covering the latest concepts, theories and methods from both applied and theoretical aspects of the social sciences
• Econlit - Index to economics journals and working papers.
• Business Source Complete (EBSCOhost) - Covers all areas of business with a large collection of scholarly business journals, industry magazines, industry & market reports, and other business information resources. Use this version if you prefer the standard interface used in other EBSCO databases (without business-specific browsing features), and if you need partial PlumX Metrics on the usage of some articles.
• CBCA Fulltext Business - A broad range of Canadian business periodicals, including trade journals, general business publications, academic journals, and topical journals.

For more databases, try Labour Studies Databases

Databases for industry information (NEW)

It may be useful to find out about problems faced by an industry, its cost for labour or upcoming trends.  In addition, try the business databases for journal articles (listed on this guide).

• Plunkett Research Online - E-book almanacs that present trends, technologies, companies, analysis, and forecasts for a variety of industries. E.g.
  • Green Technology Industry Almanac 2021
  • Sharing, Gig & Freelance Economy Almanac 2021

• IBISWorld Industry Reports - Analysis of Canadian, US, Chinese and global industries providing insight into current and future industry performance, changing trends, operating conditions and supply chain linkages. Each report covers the industry's description, outlook, and life cycle stage, as well as the competitive landscape, major companies, and key statistics.

For more, consult the Market research guide

Find books

The Library Catalogue provides access to books, journal articles, videos, government documents and much more.  To limit the search results to "books", use the filter (left-hand column in search results) to "resource type" of "books."

Library Catalogue search guide

Search the SFU Library Catalogue, either the Basic or the Advanced search

You can limit results to "Online Resources only" and  "Subject" (left-hand column)

• capitalism AND (labor OR labour)
• "Labor process*" OR "labour process*" 
• ("Labor process*" OR "labour process*") AND theor*
• (labor OR labour OR worker* OR jobs) AND "technological innovat*"
• (labour OR labor) AND (technol* OR "artificial intelligence") AND (future OR forecast* OR projection*)
• precar* AND (work* OR jobs OR employ*)
• precar* AND (work* OR jobs OR employ*) AND (future OR trend* OR outlook OR forecast OR projection)
• (unions OR "collective bargaining") AND (future OR trend* OR outlook OR forecast OR projection)
• (work OR jobs) AND (future OR projection* OR predict*)
• (labor OR labour OR worker* OR jobs) AND "skills" AND future
• "post-industrial society"
• "global political economy" AND (labor OR labour OR worker* OR unions)

Combine different concepts using AND
Combine same concepts using OR
Use quotation marks to search for a phrase
Use brackets for synonyms
Use asterisk (*) for different endings of words

Use pulldown menu and select, "Source Types" as "Books"

Note:  For Catalogue Search, when combining concepts, use CAPITAL letters ( "OR", "AND")

Selected books

• Best jobs for the 21st century
• Contemporary work and the future of employment in developed countries
• Decent Work: Concept, Theory and Measurement
• Digital labour and Karl Marx
• Digital transformation of labor : automation, the gig economy and welfare
• Digitisation and Precarisation: Redefining Work and Redefining Society
• Disintegrating democracy at work labor unions and the future of good jobs in the service economy
• Dominant Divisions of Labor : Models of Production that have Transformed the World of Work
• Entreprecariat : everyone is an entrepreneur, nobody is safe [print]
• Faces of Precarity : Critical Perspectives on Work, Subjectivities and Struggles
• Future of Work / Government of Canada
• Future of work, technology, and basic income
• Gender, Class and Power An Analysis of Pay Inequalities in the Workplace
• Globalization and precarious forms of production and employment : challenges for workers and unions
• Humans and Machines at Work Monitoring, Surveillance and Automation in Contemporary Capitalism
• Job : Work and its future in a time of radical change 
• Labour law and the gig economy : challenges posed by the digitalisation of labour processes
• Laws of the knowledge workplace : changing roles and the meaning of work in knowledge-intensive environments
• Made to work : mobilising contemporary worklives
• Mapping precariousness, labour insecurity and uncertain livelihoods : subjectivities and resistance
• Non-standard Employment under Globalization : Flexible Work and Social Security in the Newly
• OECD employment outlook 2019
• The realities and futures of work 
• Rise of the robots : technology and the threat of a jobless future
• Size and Characteristics of Informal ('Gig') Work in Canada / Bank of Canada
• Surviving the Machine Age Intelligent Technology and the Transformation of Human Work
• The talent revolution : Longevity and the future of work
• Technologies of Labour and the Politics of Contradiction
• Technology and the future of work : the impact on labour markets and welfare states
• Work and labor in the digital age
• Work, locality and the rhythms of capital : the labour process reconsidered
• Working Time, Knowledge Work and Post-Industrial Society Unpredictable Work
• World employment and social outlook : The changing nature of jobs [2015]

Find books by subject

Browse by Subject    (change the default "title" to "subject").  Browse by Subject will only result in books, not book chapters or journal articles.

• Employment forecasting
• Foreign workers
• Industrial relations -- Canada
• Industrial sociology
• Labor
• Labor and globalization
• Labor and globalization -- [country of region]
• Labor and globalization --
• Labor laws and legislation, International
• Labor market -- Developing countries
• Labor movement -- History -- 21st century
• Labor supply -- Effect of technological innovations on
• Precarious employment
• Sociology of work
• Technology - Sociological aspects
• Work - Forecasting

Government information

Canada

Government of Canada

• The future of work [2018]
  • "As part of Canada Beyond 150, our nine-person interdepartmental team looked at the changing nature of work: how automation, telepresence, aging, identity, and capital and asset formation can lead to prosperity and social inclusion....

Statistics Canada

• Labour
  • The Daily — Study: Projections to 2036 of the labour force in Canada and its regions Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada's official release bulletin
     
  • Employment by industry, annual (14-10-0202-01) (Formerly CANSIM 281-0024) Geography: Canada, Province or territory
    Number of employees by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and type of employee, last 5 years.
     
  • The labour force in Canada and its regions: Projections to 2036 (75-006-X201900100004) In this study, data from the Demosim microsimulation model are used to assess the labour force participation rate of Canadians in 2036 under various scenarios of population growth and participation rate ...

United States

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

• Employment Projections

International Labor Association Statistics (ILOSTAT) - database of labour statistics provides multiple datasets with annual and infra-annual labour market statistics for over 100 indicators and 230 countries, areas and territories, including annual indicators, short-term indicators, estimates and projects, and more.

International

• International Labour Standards
• Search: future of work
  • Results include results such as "Global Commission on Future of Work's report, "Work for a brighter future"
    • Among the key issues considered by the Commission are new forms of work, the institutional ramifications of the changing nature of work, lifelong learning, greater inclusivity and gender equality, the measurement of work and human well-being, and the role of universal social protection in a stable and just future of work.
       
  • International Labour Organization. (2015). World employment and social outlook : The changing nature of jobs. (World Employment and Social Outlook). International Labour Organization.

SourceOECD - includes statistical data on country studies, forecasting publications, reports, periodicals, and socio-economic databases. Topics covered include agriculture, developing economies, education, employment, energy, environment, migration, social issues, and sustainable development.

  Click on "Browse by theme" tab and choose "employment"
 

OECD Policy Forum on the Future of Work

Searching using Google

While searching the internet can find unexpected gems, be sure to evaluate the sources using the guide, "Evaluating sources"

• Use intitle: to force Google to find those words in the titles of results.  Use quotation marks ("") to search for phrases.  With a Google search the Boolean operator "AND" is assumed, so you don't need to use it in your search strategy.
   
  • intitle:"future of work"
     
• Use site: to specify results from a government web site
   
  • intitle:(future OR outlook) (work OR jobs OR skills) site:gov

For more, try Search Tips for Google and Google Scholar

Presentation skills and writing help

See the Student Learning Commons for expert and friendly help with academic writing, learning, and study strategies.

• Resources on developing your participation skills
• Resources to help you improve your presentation skills

Library guides

• Library Research Tutorials. Animated tutorials on search techniques for finding books and journal articles.
• Annotated bibliographies
• Evaluating sources
• How to find journal articles
• Library Catalogue search guide
• What is a scholarly (or peer-reviewed) journal?
• What is plagiarism?  Guide to common forms of plagiarism and how to avoid them