When it comes to work, the UK is facing a crisis of control. We already feel among the highest sense of job insecurity of any country in Europe and work among the longest hours. Low unemployment figures mask a growing number of people without a regular wage or employment rights – the percentage of people in ‘good jobs’ that are secure and well paid is in fact dropping year on year. This loss of control over things like working hours and pay has big implications: for many young people, the idea of putting away for a secure future, whether with a pension or savings, is just not an option. What happens if a whole generation is living hand to mouth?...

If the economy stagnates when the workforce loses its grip over work quality and pay, should the government step in? Recent horror stories from people in agency, zero-hour and falsely self-employed work have sparked an outbreak of parliamentary investigations into whether our employment laws and tax policies are fit for purpose...

So what is an alternative? Rather than fearing those who might take jobs (whether robots, workers from abroad, or indeed anyone making up the increasingly elastic labour force) the aim could be to join forces with them. Collective bargaining in the on-demand economy could seek to address the needs of not just the current workforce of a company, but the potential workforce – aiming to raise the expectations of people going into work and moving in between jobs...

Everyone has a role to play in this. Businesses and unions, politicians and campaign groups –all have an interest in building an economy that gives workers security and autonomy. The speed of change in the workplace feels disorientating – but it is part of longer term trends that – scary as they are – present opportunities for us to shape what emerges...