Ben Waber reviewed The Next Shift by Gabriel Winant
A Focused, Holistic History
5 stars
This book zooms in on the experience of work in Pittsburgh's dominant industries over the decade, starting with the advent of the steel industry and later charting the rise of health care. It makes for a great microcosm of that transition in many other areas of the US, with Winant combining individual vignettes with macro analysis to provide a holistic picture of these different eras. Importantly, he doesn't neglect unpaid labor in the home, and overall the analysis paints a depressing picture of downward pressure on wages, career trajectories, and quality of life more broadly. Given the centrality of this transition to the global economy, as well as the rising importance of healthcare jobs in the US in particular, this is an important read. Highly recommend
This book zooms in on the experience of work in Pittsburgh's dominant industries over the decade, starting with the advent of the steel industry and later charting the rise of health care. It makes for a great microcosm of that transition in many other areas of the US, with Winant combining individual vignettes with macro analysis to provide a holistic picture of these different eras. Importantly, he doesn't neglect unpaid labor in the home, and overall the analysis paints a depressing picture of downward pressure on wages, career trajectories, and quality of life more broadly. Given the centrality of this transition to the global economy, as well as the rising importance of healthcare jobs in the US in particular, this is an important read. Highly recommend