The search for flexibility: types of work

One of the main characteristics of the employment created in the TCF industries is its geographical instability. This instability is particularly marked in the labour-intensive segments of production in which many developing countries specialize. These are the countries most vulnerable to the relocation strategies of the international contractors. The need for greater flexibility which the TCF enterprises are facing is the root cause of the relocations, the increasing reliance on subcontracting arrangements and consequently the instability of employment. It also affects contracts of employment which are tending towards greater flexibility, fewer permanent posts, more part-time working arrangements and greater use of temporary staff in registered enterprises. The search for flexibility tends also to increase the recourse to the informal sector, especially in developing countries, and to homeworkers, both in developed and developing countries. Home work in the TCF industries, far from being sidelined by globalization, is experiencing renewed growth with the spread of subcontracting. Homeworkers provide the best means of matching production to market fluctuations. Unfortunately, in the great majority of countries, homeworkers employed in the TCF industries have no legal status and no social protection, which puts them in a very precarious position and exposes them to potential abuses.