Hired

Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain

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Hired

By: James Bloodworth

Narrated by: Alister Austin

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About this listen

From the Orwellian reach of an Amazon warehouse to the time trials of a council care worker and the grim reality behind the glossy Uber app, Hired is a clear-eyed analysis of a divided nation and a riveting dispatch from the very front line of low-wage Britain.

We all define ourselves by our profession. But what if our job was demeaning, poorly paid, and tedious? Cracking open Britain's divisions, journalist James Bloodworth spends six months living and working across Britain, taking on the country's most gruelling jobs.

He lives on the meagre proceeds and discovers the anxieties and hopes of those he encounters, including working-class British, young students striving to make ends meet and Eastern European immigrants.

From the Staffordshire Amazon warehouse to the taxicabs of Uber, Bloodworth narrates how traditional working-class communities have been decimated by the move to soulless service jobs with no security, advancement or satisfaction. This is a gripping examination of Brexit Britain, a divided nation which needs to understand the true reality of how other people live and work before it can heal.

Business Ethics

Career Success

Employment

Europe

Great Britain

Labour & Industrial Relations

Political Science

Politics & Government

Social Classes & Economic Disparity

Sociology

Workplace & Organisational Behavior

Workplace Culture

Career

Business

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Critic reviews

"A very discomforting book, no matter what your politics might be...very good." (Sunday Times)

"Potent, disturbing and revelatory." (Evening Standard)

Most relevant

A revealing and depressing journey through the world of the low paid. The never ending search for a 'bargain' and the drive by corporations to maximise profits, aided by a complicit government, is stripping away hard fought for workers rights. Shall certainly limit what I buy from Amazon. Does not give you much hope for the future.