Wikipedia

Precarious work

For the general condition, global perspectives, seePrecarity.

Precarious workis a term that critics use to describe non-standard or temporaryemploymentthat may be poorly paid, insecure, unprotected, and unable to support a household.[1]From this perspective,globalization,the shift from themanufacturing sectorto theservice sector,and the spread ofinformation technologyhave created a neweconomywhich demands flexibility in the workplace, resulting in the decline of the standard employment relationship, particularly for women.[2][3]The characterization oftemporary workas "precarious" is disputed by some scholars andentrepreneurswho see these changes as positive for individual workers.[4][5]Precarious work is ultimately a result of a profit driven capitalist organization of work in which employment is largely understood as a cost that needs to be reduced.[6]The social and political consequences vary greatly in terms of gender, age, race, and class and result in varying degrees of inequality and freedom.[7]

Contrast with regular and temporary employment

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The term "precarious work" is frequently associated with the following types of employment:Part-time jobs,self-employment,fixed-term work,temporary work,on-callwork, andremote workers.[1][8]Scholars and critics who use the term "precarious work" contrast it with the "standard employment relationship", which is the term they use to describe full-time, continuous employment where the employee works on their employer's premises or under the employer's supervision, under an employment contract of indefinite duration, with standardized working hours/weeks and social benefits such aspensions,unemploymentbenefits, and medical coverage.[9]This "standard employment relationship" emerged afterWorld War II,as men who completed their education would go on to work full-time for one employer their entire lives until theirretirementat the age of 65.[1]It did not typically describe women in the same time period, who would only work temporarily until they got married and had children, at which time they would withdraw from the workforce.[2]

"We Can Do It!"US wartime poster

While many different kinds ofpart-timeor limited-term jobs can betemporary,critics use the term "precarious" strictly to describe work that is uncertain, unpredictable, or offers little to no control over working hours or conditions.[10][11]This characterization has been challenged by scholars focused on theagencythattemporary workaffords individual workers.[4]However, many studies promoting individualagencyfocus on highly educated and skilledknowledge workers,rather than the full range oftemporary workers.[5][12]

Regulation

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While increased flexibility in themarketplaceand in employment relationships has created new opportunities for regulation, regulation intended explicitly to remediate precarious work often produces mixed results.[13]TheInternational Labour Organization(ILO) has developed standards for atypical and precarious employment, including the 1994 Convention Concerning Part-time Work, the 1996 Convention Concerning Home Work, and the 1999 "Decent Work" initiative.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcFudge, Judy; Owens, Rosemary (2006). Fudge, Judy; Owens, Rosemary (eds.).Precarious work, women and the new economy: the challenge to legal norms.Onati International Series in Law and Society. Oxford: Hart Publishing. pp. 3–28.ISBN9781841136165.
  2. ^abVolsko, Leah F. (2011).Managing the Margins: Gender, Citizenship and the International Regulation of Precarious Employment.Oxford University Press.ISBN9780191614521.
  3. ^Arne L. Kalleberg (2011).Good Jobs, Bad Jobs: The Rise of Polarized and Precarious Employment Systems in the United States, 1970s-2000s.Russell Sage Foundation.ISBN978-1-61044-747-8.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-02-05.Retrieved2015-02-05.
  4. ^abArthur, Michael B.; Rousseau, Denise M., eds. (2001).The Boundaryless Career: A New Employment Principle for a New Organizational Era.Oxford University Press.ISBN9780199762118.
  5. ^abVallas, Steven; Prener, Christopher (November 1, 2012). "Dualism, Job Polarization, and the Social Construction of Precarious Work".Work and Occupations.39(4): 331–353.doi:10.1177/0730888412456027.S2CID144983251.
  6. ^Ebert, Norbert (2022)."Society, Work and Precarity".Encyclopedia.2(3): 1384–1394.doi:10.3390/encyclopedia2030093.ISSN2673-8392.
  7. ^Wilson, Shaun; Ebert, Norbert (2013)."Precarious work: Economic, sociological and political perspectives".The Economic and Labour Relations Review.24(3): 263–278.doi:10.1177/1035304613500434.ISSN1035-3046.
  8. ^International Metalworkers' Federation, Central Committee 2007 (2007)."Global action against precarious work".Metal World(1). Global Union Research Network - GURN: 18–21. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2014-06-10.{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^Kalleberg, Arne L.; Reskin, Barbara F.; Hudson, Ken (2000). "Bad jobs in America: Standard and nonstandard employment relations and job quality in the United States".American Sociological Review.65(2): 256–278.doi:10.2307/2657440.JSTOR2657440.
  10. ^Kalleberg, Arne L. (February 1, 2009). "Precarious Work, Insecure Workers: Employment Relations in Transition".American Sociological Review.74(1): 1–22.CiteSeerX10.1.1.1030.231.doi:10.1177/000312240907400101.S2CID29915373.
  11. ^Cassells, Rebecca; Duncan, Alan; Mavisakalyan, Astghik; Phillimore, John; Tarverdi, Yashar (April 12, 2018)."Precarious employment is rising rapidly among men: new research".The Conversation.Archivedfrom the original on July 2, 2018.RetrievedJuly 2,2018.
  12. ^Barley, Stephen R.; Kunda, Gideon (2011).Gurus, Hired Guns, and Warm Bodies: Itinerant Experts in a Knowledge Economy.Princeton University Press.ISBN9781400841271.
  13. ^Campbell, Iain; Price, Robin (September 1, 2016). "Precarious work and precarious workers: Towards an improved conceptualisation".The Economic and Labour Relations Review.27(3): 314–322.doi:10.1177/1035304616652074.S2CID156775527..
  14. ^Vosko, Leah F. (2006). "Gender, precarious work, and the international labour code: the ghost in the ILO closet". In Fudge, Judy; Owens, Rosemary (eds.).Precarious work, women and the new economy: the challenge to legal norms.Onati International Series in Law and Society. Oxford: Hart Publishing. pp. 53–76.ISBN9781841136165.

Further reading

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