Theorising the impacts of polycrisis on employment relations: complexity and diversity at a global scale

Polycrisis—understood as intersecting crises that amplify each other rather than unfolding separately—poses profound challenges for employment relations theory and practice. The employment relationship is simultaneously a site where the effects of crises are most acutely experienced and a central mechanism through which profit is generated within a capitalist political-economic system characterised by recurring crisis tendencies. Therefore, employment relations offer a particularly useful vantage point from which to analyse how the polycrisis is impacting the world of work. In this perspective article, we ask: How does polycrisis affect employment relations in countries across the world? We begin by examining ‘polycrisis’ as a concept before considering its implications for employment relations across the world. Then, we evaluate whether prevailing theories within employment relations and critical political economy scholarship help us comprehend the current era of polycrisis. Building on this assessment, we present a multi-theory and multi-level analytical framework that highlights the complex and diverse impacts of polycrisis and the role of institutions and actors at various levels in different country settings. We close by identifying key avenues for future research.