This paper discusses some of the main transformations occurring in the labour market in recent years and will try to trace how globalization has influenced these changes. It argues that in the context of work, globalization can be understood as a cause and consequence process. As a consequence, the transformations of capital/labour relations have produced an economic and social paradigm, which has helped to feed and expand the tenets of the principles of globalization. As a cause, the globalization project reproduces market-oriented policies that undermine labour relations (labour standards), making them more volatile and less secure for workers around the world. In this dualistic dynamic, labour patterns are essential for understanding the motivations and future changes in the globalization process, but also for establishing more coordinated policies to enhance the quality and implementation of labour standards.