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The abstract of this paper is as follows:
This dissertation examines labor markets in Silicon Valley in order to contribute to our understanding of the transformation of work and employment in the information economy. The relative newness of the region's economic structure, the dominance of information technology industries in the regional economy, and its role as the global center of innovation and production in these industries, make especially visible patterns of work and employment associated with the rise of information technology. Silicon Valley labor markets are characterized by high levels of flexibility, which is best understood by making a distinction between flexible work and flexibleemployment. The activities that workers perform on the job, the skills required, and the relationships they enter into to perform those activities are changing rapidly in unpredictable ways. Contractual relationships between employer and employee are increasingly characterized by high levels of turnover, short periods of employment, and employment contracts mediated by a set of institutions external to the firm. These dynamics are integrally linked with the character of competition in industries with a high dependence on information and knowledge, in which rapid innovation is critical for competitive success. Firms also pursue flexible employment, however, in an effort to cut costs and shift economic risk. In this environment, employers and workers are turning to a variety of third party intermediaries to help them navigate through an increasingly complex and shifting labor market. Three types of intermediaries are identified and described: 1) private-s ector, including temporary agencies, contractor brokers, professional employer organizations and web-based job search sites; 2) membership-based, including professional associations and union-based initiatives; and 3) public-sector, including employment placement programs and education-based initiatives. These intermediaries have contradictory influences on the labor market, in some cases undermining career opportunities for workers, and in other cases building improved career outcomes. Regardless of their impact, intermediaries have now become integral components of the region's labor markets, shaping the structure and dynamics of work and employment in fundamental ways. The prevalence of intermediaries in Silicon Valley suggests that they will become increasingly central to the structure and dynamics of contemporary labor markets in many regions.