‘Precarious’ worlds of work: Geographies of (over)work and (un)certainty amongst permanent employees in the creative economy

Abstract

The ‘creative industries’ have acquired a new significance within policy spheres over the last decade. Policy makers ‘discovered’ that these industries were cool, created economic value and offered alleged job opportunities. The key contribution of this paper is to disrupt the positive narratives and instead focus on ‘new’ forms of employment, precarity and uncertainty within London’s advertisement industry for those in permanent employment, and the ways these are embedded in social networks and place. In examining this, the article provides evidence of ‘young’ professionals in white-collar permanent jobs whose fragmented lives still require them to be flexible, maintain their reputation, network, socialise and work long and irregular hours in the ‘global’ city region. Importantly, these results demonstrate how our competitive, service-orientated societies are taking a toll on all individuals, even those with permanent employment.