Chris Benner

TL;DR: Staircases or Treadmills emerges at the intersection of three important trends: mounting concern that the traditional institutions, most importantly unions, but also pro-labor public policy, that have historically protected workers are becoming irrelevant in the modern economy; and growing recognition of the increasing numbers and varieties of intermediaries playing a role in the external labor market.

TL;DR: Benner et al. as mentioned in this paper developed a more comprehensive approach that takes a longer-term perspective and embraces human capacity development as a central element of an economic upgrading strategy. But they also highlighted that South Africa's growth potential is constrained by low educational levels of potential call centre workers, a lack of customer service management skills, and inattention to the temporal challenges of call centre work.

Abstract: List of Figures. List of Tables. Acknowledgments. Preface. Introduction. Flexibility. Intermediaries. Careers. Research Data. Part I: Flexibility and the Transformation of Work and Employment. 1. Understanding Flexibility. Labor Markets in the Information Economy. Flexible Work and Flexible Employment. 2. Silicon Valley: Changing Industry Structure and Employment Practices. Flexible Work and Employment Practices. Economic Change and Flexibility. Conclusion: Flexbility and Volatility. Appendix: Industry Cluster Analysis. Part II: Flexibility and Intermediaries. 3. Flexibility and Intermediation. Labor Market Intermediaries. Intermediation and Markets. Intermediation and Flexible Labor Markets. Conclusion: Increasing Intermediation. 4. Labor Market Intermediaries: Private Sector. Temporary Help Agencies. Consultant Brokerage Firms. Web-based Intermediaries. Employer of Record. Professional Employer Organizations. Conclusion: The Labor Market as Business Opportunity. 5. Labor Market Intermediaries: Membership Based. Blurring Boundaries. Silicon Valley Membership-based Intermediaries. Conclusion: Building Community-based Careers. 6. Labor Market Intermediaries: Public Sector. Workforce Development System. Education-based Intermediaries. Non-profit/Community-based Initiatives. Conclusion: Challenges to Training and Workforce Development. Part III: Flexibility and Careers. 7. Careers in Silicon Valley. Growing Inequality. Flexibility and Labor Market Outcomes. Intermediaries and Labor Market Outcomes. Conclusion: Significant Problems Exist. Appendix: Silicon Valley Wage Data. 8. Flexbility and Security. New Concepts for Labor Markets in the Information Economy. Intermediaries and Labor Market Policy. Labor Flexibility and a New Employment Contract. A Final Word. Bibliography. Index.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the road to CyberUnion has begun and that those unions are ensuring a future strength by modernizing their communications and making creative and effective use of computers and other technology.