In May 2025 Hilary’s second book The Work We Need will be published by Virago LittleBrown.
Hilary has asked workers from all walks of life in the UK and the US to imagine the future of work. She argues that the combined forces of a technology revolution, an ecological crisis and wider demands for social justice have created the conditions in which we must and can transform work. The Work We Need sets out the principles of good 21st century work – work that will enable people, local places, nature and business to flourish – and she provides a road map as to how we might get there. This is a book for workers everywhere, for policy makers and for business leaders.
Acclaim for The Work We Need
`Hilary Cottam has done it again, pushing us to rethink our most basic assumptions about a fundamental aspect of our lives. Full of empathy, insight and the courage to think anew, Cottam is the humane revolutionary our turbulent century needs – and this book our roadmap to a better future ‘ Jonathan Freedland
`Brimming with ideas to transform the future, Hilary Cottam takes us on a fascinating journey to discover how to make work work’ Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics
`Finding, sustaining and growing a workforce in the context of a rapidly changing political and technological landscape is one of the biggest challenges currently facing business leaders. In this compelling and insightful book Cottam exposes what motivates workers today – not the things most business leaders think – and shows how new thinking between workers and business leaders would benefit us all. A compelling read’ Martha Lane Fox
`An act of radical hope, radical listening and radical humility – Hilary Cottam challenges our most fundamental assumptions about our lives and society and most importantly, suggests how we can make things much better. I loved it ‘ Rory Stewart
Urgent, compelling and ultimately hopeful; a radical re-imagination which is both necessary and inspiring. Cottam demonstrates that a better future, based on reciprocity and mutual collaboration, is not only possible but its seeds are already here. A brilliant and powerful call to arms’ Caroline Lucas
The book we need, right now. It integrates future visions of labour and life as imagined by workers themselves with a keen understanding of technological and economic change. A compelling and engrossing blueprint for change. Anne-Marie Slaughter
An inspiring and important book on one of the most significant issues of our time by one of the deepest thinkers on the subject of work. It is beautifully written, providing the reader with a deep appreciation of the problems and frustrations of the working lives of so many people in so many places. But what makes the book particularly impressive is how it combines this lived experience with the knowledge of newly emerging concepts of economics and capitalism to demonstrate how we should conceive of a very different way of working in the future.” Colin Mayer author of Capitalism and Crises and How to Fix them
Twenty-first century people cannot give their best if tied down to twentieth- century patterns of work. Hilary Cottam provides the roadmap for the required transformation. Timely … guides the changes needed’ Carlota Perez
`For an economy that delivers for the common good, we must envision what an economy that delivers meaningful work for all might look like. Building on a rich tapestry of first-hand accounts of workers, Hilary Cottam proposes a bold new vision of what the principles underlying ‘good work’ might be. So valuable’ Mariana Mazzucato, UCL, author of Mission Economy: a moonshot guide to changing capitalism“As many of our beliefs are being challenged , investing now for future growth will separate the winners from the losers. It’s in business’s long term interest to ensure that all stakeholders benefit — especially its employees and our planet. This book gives practical suggestions for business leaders on how to navigate the current crisis and develop a new way forward and come out ahead. Paul Polman, Net Positive, former CEO of Unilever