Abstract

HENRY, Laura. Production flexibility and diffusion of independent work in the Argentinean press: A study on the employment conditions of freelance  journalists. Trab. soc. [online]. 2013, n.21, pp.261-278. ISSN 1514-6871.

Being part of the flexibility strategies that companies have applied in different economic sectors, outsourcing has become one of the most widespread production trends in recent decades since this type of reorganization allows them to adapt to fluctuations in demand and to reduce fixed operating costs. This article deals with one of the least studied forms of this phenomenon such as the outsourcing of tasks to independent workers. We do so by taking freelance journalist of the Argentinean press as a case study in order to establish the type of employment that is generated in these production arrangements. As part of this analysis, we also evaluate the capacity of established occupational classification and concepts to grasp the particularities of this form of work that pivots between the market sphere and the sphere of the employment relationship. In regard to the methodology used, the results presented derive from a qualitative study which combined the usage of two techniques: a review of documentary sources and interviews with workers in the press industry.

Keywords : Independent work; Production flexibility; Freelance journalists; Outsourcing.