Labour-Market Dualism: Evidence from a Survey of Households in the Southampton City-Region

Empirical research in Britain has failed to keep pace with the profusion of theorising about tendencies towards dualism in labour markets. This paper attempts to improve upon previous aggregate studies of labour-market change with a detailed questionnaire survey of the economically active in the Southampton city-region. The research suggests that the decline of employment in both manufacturing and public services, together with the expansion of employment in private sector services, has been associated with trends towards dualism in respect of incomes, promotion prospects, fringe benefits, skill levels, job security and levels of job satisfaction.