Concierges, adjunct professors, potato chip tasters: US employers are relying more and more on ‘disposable’ workers

About 1 in 3 US workers are in this predicament.

By: Paul Osterman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 11, 2026

Words: 1,289

Last Updated: 1 week ago

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By Paul Osterman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

When I leave my Boston condo every day, I say good morning to the concierge, who works for a contracting company providing staff to residential buildings. When I conduct an interview in a nearby building, the people who clean that office at night are contractors. The person who serves me my lunch sandwich is a part-timer with no career prospects in that job.

When my best intentions to …

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