First published in 2011 The Precariat is the hugely influential first account of an emerging class of people facing insecurity, moving in and out of precarious work that gives little meaning to their lives. Standing warns that the growth of the precariat is producing instabilities in society. Its internal divisions have led to the villainization of migrants and other vulnerable groups and some are susceptible to the dangers of political extremism. Standing argues for a new politics which puts the fears and aspirations of the precariat at the heart of a progressive strategy of redistribution and income security.

The precariat is an increasingly global phenomenon, highly visible in the ongoing migrant crisis and protest movements around the world. In a new preface for the Revelations edition Guy Standing discusses recent political developments and their effect on the precariat.