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Drawing on vignettes of the contested nature of change at work in a context of globalization, this article presents four contending narratives of this relationship. It argues that such frames open up or close down the possibility for actors to envisage the evolution of work and employment. The first two (overdetermined convergence and the crisis of capitalism) limit our understanding of important features of the processes underway. A third (balancing the economic and the social) opens up more space for varied outcomes and social choices, but is faulted for its problematical assumptions about social engineering and institutional trade-offs. A fourth frame focused on actor capacity and power offers the most interesting analytical avenues for the development of research. Four consequences are envisaged for the development of a research agenda: first, a focus on four types of fault line of deep societal change (internationalization of economic relations, the reorganization of production, the gender contract and decent, socially useful and healthy work) and the intersections of these fault lines; second, identifying and tracking the articulations and hierarchies between sources and sites of social regulation; third, studying the decline and revitalization of existing actors and the emergence of new actors and their capacities and power; finally, making research on work and employment matter through values, a proximity to social actors and a normative dialogue with change.

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Globalisation is too often equated with the deregulation of labour. The central proposition of this article is that globalisation entails a re-regulations rather than a deregulation of employment relations. Research, it is argued, should focus on the nature of that re-regulation. Drawing on three vignettes of labour regulation in Canada, the article seeks to provide a theoretical account of the nature of labour regulation and re-regulation in the context of globalisation. After identifying different dimensions of globalisation, it explores four features of labour regulation with particular attention to the consequences of globalisation on them. These features are: the nature of employment relationship; the role of organisational processes and contingency in the shaping of work rules; the strategic interdependence of actors and, in particular, the importance of the balance of power between them in shaping labour regulation; and, finally, the nature of rules about work, especially their dynamic and social character.

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This report examines the challenges facing the automotive services industry in Quebec as it transitions from selling and servicing traditional combustion-engine vehicles to new generations of motor vehicles. These new models are computerized and connected through sophisticated onboard diagnostic (OBD) systems, integrate advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and are often propelled by hybrid and electric motors. This technological shift has disrupted traditional business models in a complex multi-tiered industry that ranges from manufacturing, sales, and services to parts distribution, repairs, and recycling. Its impacts have multiple implications for future skills requirements and the provision of skills training. The skills challenges involved in transitioning a workforce from traditional sales and servicing to a much more innovation- and technology-focused industry provide the main focus of this report.

The automotive services industry provides a good illustration of how technological change is impacting a fairly traditional industry, in which the skill base is not necessarily where it needs to be, and the basic and lifelong training systems are showing several gaps. This study examines auto services in Quebec, with a focus on the automotive service technicians (primarily mechanics) who ensure the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles in dealerships, as well as aftermarket services for those vehicles. The report examines how diverse actors in the Quebec auto services industry - including large-scale manufacturers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), their value chains, trade unions, labour-management joint committees, training bodies, and government agencies - are developing practices to fulfill the need for new skills and address issues related to jobs and work. Our study shows that the strategies used to respond to skills shortages, gaps, and future skills challenges are an apt reflection of the complex architecture of the sector. The study also shows how various stakeholders can be brought into the implementation of policy and practice for skill development and innovations in the training ecosystem.

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