Labour Inspection is an authoritative, comprehensive guide to labour inspection and its fundamental principles. It emphasizes that labour inspection is a profession in its own right, and requires a professional approach. It presents policy issues in an international context, while examining how the major, foreseeable developments in economics, the labour market, technology, as well as national, sectoral, and enterprise social structures, affect labour inspection.

Taking into account substantial new developments and major changes in the field, this volume looks at what has occurred in both the policy and practice of labour inspection at the beginning of the 21^st century. It explores the often entirely new systems and strategies that have surfaced such as «internal control» and the merger of parts of social insurance (workers’ compensation) with inspection services and explains how these, and other practices, may benefit countries in similar situations.

In addition, the book focuses on pivotal trends which are having a profound impact on labour inspection practices such as the:

• sum effects of globalization
• growth of more and more small, independent units, often difficult to supervise
• continuing trend of enterprises existing for a short time, changing ownership and becoming more mobile
• appearance of «virtual» enterprises of networks
• increase of cost and competition pressures at the expense of social concerns

Moreover, the book explores how these trends are forcing labour inspectors to increasingly abandon a rigid,narrow approach based on a single specialization in favour of a truly «integrated» vision. It stresses the importance of developing an understanding of all the factors influencing and contributing to improved labour protection.

Significant labour market changes are also addressed, like shorter and longer working hours, atypical and precarious work relationships, the «downgrading» of jobs, the fragmentation of the labour market, the weakening of the traditional partners, the impact of new technologies, the insecurity in employment and many more.

In this volume, inspectors, labour protection specialists, policy-makers and others involved in the world of work will find a wealth of information on improving and evaluating labour inspection systems.