The Conceptual Integrity of Employment

Abstract

The concept of 'employment' appears in various contexts in English law. However, the word 'employment' is defined in a variety of ways depending on which context is in point. This gives rise to the question as to whether there is a single, unified, concept of employment that is nevertheless characterised differently according to context, or whether a common term is used to cover a variety of differing concepts. The issue is an important one because the requirement or legitimacy of adopting cross-contextual, comparative, approaches is relevant to the development and interpretation of employment-related matters in several areas of law.