Precarious work

For the general condition, global perspectives, see Precarity.

Precarious work is a term that critics use to describe non-standard or temporary employment that may be poorly paid, insecure, unprotected, and unable to support a household.[1] From this perspective, globalization, the shift from the manufacturing sector to the service sector, and the spread of information technology have created a new economy which demands flexibility in the workplace, resulting in the decline of the standard employment relationship, particularly for women.[2][3] The characterization of temporary work as "precarious" is disputed by some scholars and entrepreneurs who 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]

  1. ^ Fudge, 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. ISBN 9781841136165.
  2. ^ Volsko, Leah F. (2011). Managing the Margins: Gender, Citizenship and the International Regulation of Precarious Employment. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191614521.
  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. ISBN 978-1-61044-747-8. Archived from the original on 2015-02-05. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  4. ^ Arthur, Michael B.; Rousseau, Denise M., eds. (2001). The Boundaryless Career: A New Employment Principle for a New Organizational Era. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199762118.
  5. ^ Vallas, 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. S2CID 144983251.
  6. ^ Ebert, Norbert (2022). "Society, Work and Precarity". Encyclopedia. 2 (3): 1384–1394. doi:10.3390/encyclopedia2030093. ISSN 2673-8392.
  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. ISSN 1035-3046.