Labour supply chains and labour exploitation: governable labour as a central element of global supply chains

Contemporary supply chains have become complex systems that are central to the functioning of the global production model. Traditionally, the analysis of these chains has focused on technological, logistical, and organisational aspects, often overlooking the ways in which labour is organised and governed. However, in certain supply chains, production relies on the availability of a flexible, adaptable, and easily governable workforce. In this context, some supply chains have developed labour supply chains aimed at providing labour in line with production needs. These labour chains are often organised through a set of actors and mechanisms that enable the recruitment, mobilisation, and control of the workforce across global production systems. By means of labour intermediation, subcontracting, and various forms of economic dependence, these dynamics tend to generate employment relations marked by strong power asymmetries, which limit workers’ decision-making capacity and mobility. In certain sectors and contexts, such relations may lead to conditions of labour exploitation and, in the most extreme cases, to forms of modern slavery. Building on this analysis, the article argues for the need to place labour at the centre of debates on global supply chains to better understand the social implications of the contemporary production model and its limits.