Zitatform

Altamimi, Hala & Qiaozhen Liu (2025): Lower cost at a cost? The effects of flexible labour on non-profit operational outcomes. In: Public Management Review, S. 1-34. DOI:10.1080/14719037.2025.2526533

Abstract

"The rise of flexible labour promises cost savings and flexibility. However, empirical research examining the organizational consequences of this employment model remains limited. Our analysis of panel data (2008–2018) on non-profits in the U.S. shows that flexible labour negatively influences operational outcomes. This effect is pronounced when these workers are involved in core organizational functions. The findings suggest that the increasing reliance on flexible labour promotes a short-term transactional employment approach incompatible with the sector’s institutional, motivational, and relational context. We suggest avenues for better aligning flexible labour use with non-profits organizational values and mission." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Helppie-McFall, Brooke, Eric Parolin & Basit Zafar (2025): Career expectations and outcomes: Evidence (on gender gaps) from the economics job market. In: Journal of Public Economics, Jg. 248. DOI:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2025.105437

Abstract

"This paper investigates gender gaps in long-term career expectations and outcomes of PhD candidates in economics. For this purpose, we match rich survey data on PhD candidates (from the 2008–2010 job market cohorts) to public data on job history and publication records through 2022. We document four novel empirical facts: (1) there is a robust gender gap in career expectations, with females about 10 percentage points less likely to ex-ante expect to get tenure or publish regularly; (2) the gender gap in expectations is remarkably similar to the gap observed for academic outcomes; (3) expectations are similarly predictive of outcomes for males and females, and (4) gender gaps in expectations can explain about 22 % and 14 % of the ex-post gaps in tenure and publications, respectively. In addition, leveraging variation in relationship status at the time expectations are reported, we show that: conditional on gender, (1) expectations regarding tenure and publications do not differ systematically by relationship status, and (2) the predictive power of expectations does not differ by the relationship status of the individual." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.) ((en))

Zitatform

Kvart, Signild, Isabel Cuervo, Virginia Gunn, Wayne Lewchuk, Kim Bosmans, Letitia Davis, Astrid Escrig-Piñol, Per-Olof Östergren, Eva Padrosa, Alejandra Vives, Alessandro Zaupa, Emily Q. Ahonen, Valentina Álvarez-López, Mireia Bolíbar, Ignacio Diaz, Mariana Gutiérrez-Zamora, Lars Ivarsson, Mireia Julià, Carles Muntaner, Patricia O'Campo, Marisol E. Ruiz, Kristian Vänerhagen, Emilia F. Vignola, David Vílchez, Mattias Vos, Theo Bodin & Sherry L. Baron (2025): Labour and social protection gaps impacting the health and well-being of workers in non-standard employment: An international comparative study. In: PLoS ONE, Jg. 20. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0320248

Abstract

"Background: World economies increasingly rely on non-standard employment arrangements, which has been linked to ill health. While work and employment conditions are recognized structural determinants of health and health equity, policies aiming to protect workers from negative implications predominantly focus on standard employment arrangements and the needs of workers in non-standard employment may be neglected. The aim of this study is to explore workers’ experiences of gaps in labour regulations and social protections and its influence on their health and well-being across 6 countries with differing policy approaches: Belgium, Canada, Chile, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Methods: 250 semi-structured interviews with workers in non-standard employment were analyzed thematically using a multiple case-study approach. Results: There are notable differences in workers’ rights to protection across the countries. However, participants across all countries experienced similar challenges including employment instability, income inadequacy and limited rights and protection, due to policy-related gaps and access-barriers. In response, they resorted to individual resources and strategies, struggled to envision supportive policies, and expressed low expectations of changes by employers and policymakers. Conclusions: Policy gaps threaten workers’ health and well-being across all study countries, irrespective of the levels of labour market regulations and social protections. Workers in non-standard employment disproportionately endure economic risks, which may increase social and health inequality. The study highlights the need to improve social protection for this vulnerable population." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Maffie, Michael David & Hector Hurtado (2025): The Enshittification of Work: Platform Decay and Labour Conditions in the Gig Economy. In: BJIR. DOI:10.1111/bjir.70004

Abstract

"This study investigates the mechanisms by which gig platforms degrade labor conditions over time, building on the concept of platform decay, or ‘enshittification’, initially developed in the context of social media platforms. In this article, we draw on 30 interviews with long-term gig workers in the ride-hail and grocery delivery sectors, offering insights into how these companies shift from offering attractive working conditions to exploiting labor as these services develop market power via network effects. We identify three mechanisms through which gig companies claw back value from workers over time: burden shifting (transferring operational costs to workers), feature addition and alteration (increasing the demands on workers), and market manipulation (reducing worker bargaining power). We then explore how workers respond to platform decay, finding that workers adopt three responses: effort recalibration , multi-homing and navigating the changing conditions through what we term toxic resilience . This study contributes to the gig work literature by developing a framework to explain how working conditions in the gig economy improve or degrade over time. In doing so, this article provides a framework for organizing the growing constellation of labour research on gig workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

Zitatform

Abraham, Katharine G., John C. Haltiwanger, Claire Y. Hou, Kristin Sandusky & James Spletzer (2024): Driving the Gig Economy. (NBER working paper / National Bureau of Economic Research 32766), Cambridge, Mass, 48 S.

Abstract

"Using rich administrative tax data, we explore the effects of the introduction of online ridesharing platforms on entry, employment and earnings in the Taxi and Limousine Services industry. Ridesharing dramatically increased the pace of entry of workers into the industry. New entrants were more likely to be young, female, White and U.S. born, and to combine earnings from ridesharing with wage and salary earnings. Displaced workers have found ridesharing to be a substantially more attractive fallback option than driving a taxi. Ridesharing also affected the incumbent taxi driver workforce. The exit rates of low-earning taxi drivers increased following the introduction of ridesharing in their city; exit rates of high-earning taxi drivers were little affected. In cities without regulations limiting the size of the taxi fleet, both groups of drivers experienced earnings losses following the introduction of ridesharing. These losses were ameliorated or absent in more heavily regulated markets." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Abraham, Katharine G., Brad Hershbein, Susan N. Houseman & Beth C. Truesdale (2024): The Independent Contractor Workforce: New Evidence on Its Size and Composition and Ways to Improve Its Measurement in Household Surveys. In: ILR review, Jg. 77, H. 3, S. 336-365. DOI:10.1177/00197939241226945

Abstract

"Good data on the size and composition of the independent contractor workforce are elusive. The authors carried out a series of focus groups to learn how independent contractors speak about their work. Based on those findings, they designed and fielded a telephone survey to elicit more accurate and complete information on independent contractors. Roughly 1 in 10 workers who initially reported working for an employer on one or more jobs (and thus were coded as employees) were independent contractors on at least one of those jobs. Incorporating these miscoded workers into estimates of main job work arrangements nearly doubles the share who are independent contractors to approximately 15% of all workers. Taking these workers into account substantively changes the demographic profile of the independent contractor workforce. Probing in household surveys to clarify a worker’s employment arrangement and identify all low-hours work is critical for accurately measuring independent contractor work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Boeri, Tito & Pietro Garibaldi (2024): Temporary Employment in Markets with Frictions. In: Journal of Economic Literature, Jg. 62, H. 3, S. 1143-1185. DOI:10.1257/jel.20231655

Abstract

"Temporary employment has spiked in OECD countries over the last 40 years and is now a common feature of their labor market landscape. A large body of empirical literature examines the spread of temporary employment, but no systematic review and interpretation of its findings in light of economic theory exists. This survey aims at filling this gap by interpreting the key empirical results based on the predictions of the macro models in markets with frictions developed to address specific features of temporary employment. Revisions of workhorse models used so far to analyze temporary employment are also suggested." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Créchet, Jonathan (2024): A model of risk sharing in a dual labor market. In: Journal of monetary economics, Jg. 147. DOI:10.1016/j.jmoneco.2024.103591

Abstract

"In OECD countries, the labor market features a coexistence of open-ended, permanent jobs subject to strict employment protection and fixed-term, temporary jobs. This paper studies a search-and-matching model with risk-averse workers and dynamic employment contracts subject to limited commitment. In equilibrium, permanent and temporary jobs coexist when the match quality is sufficiently dispersed: firing costs generate insurance gains implying that permanent contracts are optimal for high-quality matches. Consistent with recent empirical evidence, quantitative analysis of the model shows that temporary contracts crowd out permanent jobs and do not generate employment gains." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Gonos, George (2024): The Expanding Domains of Degraded Work in the United States: Constructing a More Comprehensive Typology of Non-standard Employment Arrangements. In: Critical Sociology, S. 1-24. DOI:10.1177/08969205241283938

Abstract

"The spread of non-standard employment (NSE) is widely considered to have contributed to the deterioration of labor standards. Yet, in the United States, there is no definitive roster of non-standard work arrangements and no reliable estimate of the size of the non-standard workforce. For over 25 years, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has produced artificially low estimates of employers’ use of ‘alternative employment arrangements’. Its 2018 Contingent Work Supplement (CWS) reported that since 1995 the proportion of US workers in these arrangements had declined. This article proposes a more systematic framework for understanding NSE in the United States and fleshes out a more comprehensive typology better suited toward addressing the needs of policymakers and labor activists. It fundamentally reorients the study of NSE by recognizing that so-called ‘alternative’ arrangements are abusive and more aptly understood as degraded work arrangements (DWAs). The article then explores the key categories of DWAs and provides a deeper analysis of one group, dissociative arrangements, that enable the flourishing use of ‘non-employee’ workers. Concluding sections address the undertheorized state of this subject area and the challenge of union organizing in fractured labor markets." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Manning, Alan & Graham Mazeine (2024): Subjective Job Insecurity and the Rise of the Precariat: Evidence from the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. In: The Review of Economics and Statistics, Jg. 106, H. 3, S. 748-761. DOI:10.1162/rest_a_01196

Abstract

"There is a widespread belief that work is less secure than in the past, that an increasing share of workers are part of the “precariat.” It is hard to find much evidence for this in objective measures of job security, but perhaps subjective measures show different trends. This paper shows that in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, workers feel as secure as they ever have in the past 30 years. This is partly because job insecurity is very cyclical and (pre-COVID) unemployment rates very low, but there is also no clear underlying trend towards increased subjective measures of job insecurity. This conclusion seems robust to controlling for the changing mix of the labor force, and it is true for specific subsets of workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © MIT Press Journals) ((en))

Zitatform

Reynolds, Jeremy, Julieta Aguilar & Reilly Kincaid (2024): More than a side-hustle: Satisfaction with conventional and microtask work and the association with life satisfaction. In: Social science research, Jg. 122. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2024.103055

Abstract

"Gig platforms promise attractive, flexible ways to earn supplemental income. Academics, however, often describe gig work as low-quality work, suggesting that it is less satisfying than conventional work. In this paper, we present a novel comparison of satisfaction with gig microtask work and conventional work among MTurk workers doing both. We also examine how satisfaction with gig and conventional work relate to life satisfaction. On average, respondents report less satisfaction with microtasks than with conventional work. Nevertheless, roughly one-third of respondents are more satisfied with microtask work. Furthermore, microtask work lowers overall life satisfaction, but only among “platformdependent” respondents (those who rely on platform income). Specifically, structural equation modeling reveals a case of moderated mediation: “platform dependence” reduces life satisfaction by lowering satisfaction with microtask work while also strengthening the latter's connection to life satisfaction. Taken together, our findings support and extend the theory of platform dependence." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Arita, Shin, Kikuko Nagayoshi, Hirofumi Taki, Hiroshi Kanbayashi, Hirohisa Takenoshita & Takashi Yoshida (2023): Legitimation of earnings inequality between regular and non-regular workers: A comparison of Japan, South Korea, and the United States. In: International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Jg. 64, H. 6, S. 658-680. DOI:10.1177/00207152231176422

Abstract

"This study explores functions of labor market institutions in perpetuating earnings gap between different categories of workers with focusing on people’s views of earnings gap between regular and non-regular workers in Japan, South Korea, and the United States. An original cross-national factorial survey was conducted to measure the extent to which respondents admit earnings gap among workers with different characteristics. We found that Japanese and South Korean respondents tended to justify the earnings gap between regular and non-regular workers. In Japan, non-regular-worker respondents accepted the wide earnings gap against their economic interests, which was explained by assumed difference in responsibilities and on-the-job training opportunities. Specific institutional arrangements contribute to legitimating earnings gap between different categories of workers by attaching status value to the categories." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Banerjee, Rupa, Laura Lam & Danielle Lamb (2023): Temporary talent: Wage penalties among highly educated temporary workers in Canada. In: The Journal of Industrial Relations, Jg. 65, H. 2, S. 185-210. DOI:10.1177/00221856231151964

Abstract

"Temporary employment (TE) arrangements have become increasingly common in Canada among both high- and low-skilled workers. In this study, we examine the prevalence and earnings effects of TE across education levels with a specific focus on highly educated workers. We also examine the earnings effects of TE across the earnings distribution. We find that higher levels of schooling are negatively associated with the probability of TE. However, the earnings discounts for temporary work are significant and increase in magnitude for individuals with higher levels of educational attainment. For highly educated workers at the top end of the earnings distribution, the discount associated with being in a temporary job is large enough to substantially reduce, although not entirely negate, the sizeable earnings premiums associated with higher levels of education." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Breman, Jan (2023): A Short History of the Informal Economy. In: Global Labour Journal, Jg. 14, H. 1, S. 21-39. DOI:10.15173/glj.v14i1.5277

Abstract

"When coined about half a century ago, employment in the informal economy was discussed by what it was not: formal. Addressed as a sector of the urban workforce, its definition was a summing up of descriptive traits which made manifest how people in the Global South, deprived of most or all means of production, earned their livelihood by selling their labour power. Investigating their predicament zoomed in on the restructuring of peasant economies and societies to post-peasant ones. The anticipated upward mobility, which was supposed to be boosted by the bargaining power of collective action, did not materialise. Rather than expanding formalisation of labour relations, the reverse took place. The small segment which had been promoted to and protected by regular and regulated employment was subjected to informalisation. In the onslaught of neo-liberal capitalism from the last quarter of the twentieth century onwards, labour flexibilisation and casualisation not only intensified in the Global South but also spread to the Global North. The new policies ended the brokerage which the nation–state once developed to mediate between the interests of capital and labour, leading to a worldwide shrinking of public institutions, space and representation. While the debate with regard to informality has remained firmly focused on labour and employment, I argue that corporate capital in collusion with étatist authority has not only effectuated the deregulation of paid work but also abandoned the legal code of formality ending in a state of lawlessness for the people at the bottom of the pile. In the reconfiguration, both politics and governance are next to big business as stakeholders in a regime of informality erosive of equality, democracy, civil rights, solidarity and shared well-being for humankind at large." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Elvery, Joel A., C. Lockwood Reynolds & Shawn M. Rohlin (2023): Employer Wage Subsidy Caps and Part-Time Work. In: ILR review, Jg. 76, H. 1, S. 189-209. DOI:10.1177/00197939221102865

Abstract

"Using tract-level US Census data and triple-difference estimators, the authors test whether firms increase their use of part-time workers when faced with capped wage subsidies. By limiting the maximum subsidy per worker, such subsidies create incentives for firms to increase the share of their payroll that is eligible for the subsidy by increasing use of part-time or low-wage workers. Results suggest that firms located in federal Empowerment Zones in the United States responded to the program’s capped wage subsidies by expanding their use of part-time workers, particularly in locations where the subsidy cap is likely to bind. Results also show a shift toward hiring lower-skill workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Makarevich, Alex (2023): Workplace gender segregation in standard and non-standard employment regimes in the US labour market. In: BJIR, Jg. 61, H. 3, S. 697-722. DOI:10.1111/bjir.12730

Abstract

"This study provides a comprehensive analysis of workplace gender segregation in non-standard employment in the United States. It compares segregation in standard and three non-standard work arrangements paying special attention to independent contracting – a segment of contingent employment representing novel and consequential developments in work organization. In line with the prediction that inequality is lower in more marketized sectors of the labour market, my analyses based on a representative sample of the contemporary US workforce reveal that workplace gender segregation is lower in non-standard employment. I further find that the degree of segregation corresponds to the degree of attachment to the employer and that segregation is lower in segments of the economy with higher market competition. Overall, my analyses indicate that a shift towards alternative work arrangements can reduce overall workplace segregation but does not lead to uniform desegregation across occupations, and that institutions of employment and market pressures faced by employers play significant roles in the effect of alternative work arrangements on workplace segregation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

Zitatform

Wang, Jia (2023): Mothers' nonstandard work schedules and children's behavior problems: Divergent patterns by maternal education. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 84. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2023.100784

Abstract

"Increasing evidence has demonstrated that nonstandard work schedules are more prevalent among the less-educated population, and mothers' nonstandard work schedules have adverse influences on children's development. Yet, we have known relatively little about how such impacts differ across the educational distribution. Using data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, random and fixed effects regression results revealed a general “pattern of disadvantage” in the sense that detrimental influences of mothers regularly working nonstandard schedules on children's behavior were concentrated among those born to mothers without high school education, a “truly disadvantaged” group in the contemporary United States. In addition, regular nonstandard schedules appeared to play a mixed role in the behavioral development of children who had college-educated mothers, depending on the specific type of nonstandard schedule. These findings suggest that children born to the least-educated mothers experience compounded disadvantages that may reinforce the intergenerational transmission of disadvantages and also illustrate that negative implications of nonstandard work schedules for child wellbeing may extend to the more advantaged group." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Choper, Joshua, Daniel Schneider & Kristen Harknett (2022): Uncertain Time: Precarious Schedules and Job Turnover in the US Service Sector. In: ILR review, Jg. 75, H. 5, S. 1099-1132. DOI:10.1177/00197939211048484

Abstract

"The authors develop a model of cumulative disadvantage relating three axes of disadvantage for hourly workers in the US retail and food service sectors: schedule instability, turnover, and earnings. In this model, exposure to unstable work schedules disrupts workers’ family and economic lives, straining the employment relation and increasing the likelihood of turnover, which can then lead to earnings losses. Drawing on new panel data from 1,827 hourly workers in retail and food service collected as part of the Shift Project, the authors demonstrate that exposure to schedule instability is a strong, robust predictor of turnover for workers with relatively unstable schedules (about one-third of the sample). Slightly less than half of this relationship is mediated by job satisfaction and another quarter by work–family conflict. Job turnover is generally associated with earnings losses due to unemployment, but workers leaving jobs with moderately unstable schedules experience earnings growth upon re-employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Haapanala, Henri, Ive Marx & Zachary Parolin (2022): Robots and Unions: The Moderating Effect of Organised Labour on Technological Unemployment. (IZA discussion paper 15080), Bonn, 31 S.

Abstract

"We analyse the moderating effect of trade unions on industrial employment and unemployment in countries facing exposure to industrial robots. Applying random effects within-between regression to a pseudo-panel of observations from 28 advanced democracies over 1998-2019, we find that stronger trade unions in a country are associated with a greater decline in the industry sector employment of young and low-educated workers. We also show that the unemployment rates for low-educated workers remain constant in strongly unionised countries with increasing exposure to robots, whereas in weakly unionised countries, low-educated unemployment declines with robot exposure but from a higher starting point. Our results point to unions exacerbating the insider-outsider effects of technological change within the industrial sector, which however is not fully passed on to unemployment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Katz, Lawrence F., Jonathan Roth, Richard Hendra & Kelsey Schaberg (2022): Why Do Sectoral Employment Programs Work? Lessons from WorkAdvance. In: Journal of labor economics, Jg. 40, H. S1, S. S249-S291. DOI:10.1086/717932

Abstract

"This paper examines the evidence from randomized evaluations of sector-focused training programs that target low-wage workers and combine up-front screening, occupational and soft-skills training, and wraparound services. The programs generate substantial and persistent earnings gains (12%–34%) following training. Theoretical mechanisms for program impacts are explored for the WorkAdvance demonstration. Earnings gains are generated by getting participants into higher-wage jobs in higher-earning industries and occupations, not just by raising employment. Training in transferable and certifiable skills (likely underprovided from poaching concerns) and reductions of employment barriers to high-wage sectors for nontraditional workers appear to play key roles." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Peckham, Trevor, Brian Flaherty, Anjum Hajat, Kaori Fujishiro, Dan Jacoby & Noah Seixas (2022): What Does Non-standard Employment Look Like in the United States? An Empirical Typology of Employment Quality. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 163, H. 2, S. 555-583. DOI:10.1007/s11205-022-02907-8

Abstract

"Despite significant interest in the changing nature of employment as a critical social and economic challenge facing society—especially the decline in the so-called Standard Employment Relationship (SER) and rise in more insecure, precarious forms of employment—scholars have struggled to operationalize the multifaceted and heterogeneous nature of contemporary worker-employer relationships within empirical analyses. Here we investigate the character and distribution of employment relationships in the U.S., drawing on a representative sample of wage-earners and self-employed from the General Social Survey (2002–2018). We use the multidimensional construct of employment quality, which includes both contractual (e.g., wages, contract type) and relational (e.g., employee representation and participation) aspects of employment. We further employ a typological measurement approach, using latent class analysis, to explicitly examine how the multiple aspects of employment cluster together in modern labor markets. We present eight distinct employment types in the U.S., including one resembling the historical conception of the SER model (24% of the total workforce), and others representing various constellations of favorable and adverse employment features. These employment types are unevenly distributed across society, in terms of who works these jobs and where they are found in the labor market. Importantly, women, those with lower education, and younger workers are more likely to be in precarious forms of employment. More generally, our typology reveals limitations associated with binary conceptions of standard vs. non-standard employment, or insider–outsider dichotomies envisioned within dual labor market theories." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

Zitatform

Baird, Matthew, John Engberg & Italo A. Gutierrez (2021): Outcome Mechanisms for Improved Employment and Earnings through Screened Job Training: Evidence from an RCT. (IZA discussion paper 14435), Bonn, 32 S.

Abstract

"This study fills a gap in the literature on the outcome mechanisms in which successful training programs improve employment and earnings, such as raises on the job or longer job duration. The city of New Orleans implemented a job training program as an RCT for low-income workers. Individuals in the treatment group were more likely to work in the target industries and move out of low-skill industries. In the first 9 months after training, the treatment group experienced higher earnings with new employers and with existing employments. After 9 months, the effects were driven by higher probability of staying with an employer (with now-higher earnings). Findings encourage patience on the part of trainees and the government, as workers may not find their stable, target employment immediately. Government may also want to find ways to improve early connections with employers after training." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Haidar, Julieta & Miska Keune (Hrsg.) (2021): Work and Labour Relations in Global Platform Capitalism. (ILERA Publication series), Cheltenham: Elgar, 288 S. DOI:10.4337/9781802205138

Abstract

"This engaging and timely book provides an in-depth analysis of work and labour relations within global platform capitalism with a specific focus on digital platforms that organise labour processes, known as labour platforms. Well-respected contributors thoroughly examine both online and offline platforms, their distinct differences and the important roles they play for both large transnational companies and those with a smaller global reach." (Author's abstract, © Edward Elgar Publishing) ((en))

Zitatform

Leupp, Katrina, Sabino Kornrich & Julie Brines (2021): 'Stuck' in nonstandard schedules? Married couples' nonstandard work schedules over the life course. In: Community, work & family, Jg. 24, H. 1, S. 20-38. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2019.1619517

Abstract

"Though employment outside of regular daytime business hours has remained high since the 1990s, trends in nonstandard employment schedules over the life course and across households remain under-examined. The consequences of nonstandard scheduling extend to workers, their spouse, and children, urging greater attention to the distribution of nonstandard schedules at the couple-level. Using all three waves of the National Survey of Families and Households, this article examines the prevalence, persistence and sociodemographic patterns of rotating and night employment at the couple-level, following 913 married couples in the United States as they aged from the late 1980s to early 2000s. Though aging reduced the likelihood that couples had one or both spouses working nonstandard hours, roughly one-third of couples with nonstandard scheduling continued to experience nonstandard schedules during the subsequent observation period. Nonstandard schedules were stratified by education and race/ethnicity. This stratification persisted as couples aged, even after controlling for prior work schedules. Findings suggest that disadvantaged couples remain disproportionately exposed to schedules associated with negative outcomes for family well-being across the life course." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Liu, Shimeng & Xi Yang (2021): Human capital externalities or consumption spillovers? The effect of high-skill human capital across low-skill labor markets. In: Regional Science and Urban Economics, Jg. 87. DOI:10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2020.103620

Zitatform

Macartney, Hugh, Eric Nielsen & Viviana Rodriguez (2021): Unequal worker exposure to establishment deaths. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 73. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2021.102073

Abstract

"It is well understood that adverse economic shocks affect workers nonuniformly. We explore a new channel through which unequal employment outcomes may emerge during a downturn: displacement through the extensive margin of establishment deaths. Intuitively, workers who are concentrated in less resilient establishments prior to an economic decline will be disproportionately affected by its onset. Using rich administrative employment and establishment data for the United States, we show that Black workers bore the brunt of the Great Recession in terms of within-industry employment changes arising from establishment deaths. This finding has important implications for the evolution of worker disparities during future downturns." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2022 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

O'Brady, Sean (2021): Fighting precarious work with institutional power: Union inclusion and its limits across spheres of action. In: BJIR, Jg. 59, H. 4, S. 1084-1107. DOI:10.1111/bjir.12596

Abstract

"Research shows that union inclusion is critical to resisting precariousness, yet the role of institutional power is not adequately addressed. Through an investigation of eight retailers in four countries, this study uniquely examines how inclusive union strategies, cost competition and institutional power interact in different ‘spheres of action’. In the product market sphere, unions struggle to prevent labour cost competition between firms from eroding working conditions. In the production sphere, unions struggle to prevent labour cost competition between workers in a single firm from eroding working conditions. This article finds that multi‐level sources of institutional power are a precursor to effective union inclusion and articulating action towards threats from cost competition. I thereby argue that union efforts to resist precarious work are contingent on access to power from institutions. The article concludes with reflections on how institutional power relates to other forms of power." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

Zitatform

Chafe, David & Lisa Kaida (2020): Harmonic dissonance : Coping with employment precarity among professional musicians in St John's, Canada. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 34, H. 3, S. 407-423. DOI:10.1177/0950017019865877

Abstract

"Precarious employment literature has addressed a myriad of occupations increasingly characterized by employment uncertainty and reduced commitment between workers and employers due to short-term contracts and self-employment, with particular attention given to creative industries and the gig economy in recent years. The authors argue that research on creative industries also requires consideration of the role of place in the experience of employment insecurity and career commitment. This article focuses on self-employed musicians in the mid-sized city of St John's, Canada. Interviews with 54 musicians draw attention to coping strategies for long periods of low pay and employment insecurity. These strategies include downplaying competition and conflict, acquiring higher education and changing career. It is argued that population size and location of the community where work is based have implications on such coping strategies and on career longevity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hepp, Rolf, David Kergel & Robert Riesinger (Hrsg.) (2020): Precarized society. Social Transformation of the welfare state. (Prekarisierung und soziale Entkopplung - transdisziplinäre Studien), Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 274 S.

Abstract

"This book provides international and transdisciplinary perspectives on Hyperprecarity and Social Structural Transformations in European Societies, USA and Russia enforced through other special transformation processes such as digitalisation, migration and demographic change. It has been observed that precarity and social insecurity do not refer any longer only to certain groups of the society such as unemployed people or to those ones who are ‘traditionally’ more in need of social benefit etc. but it accompanies and affects greater parts of the society, particularly those sections of the middleclass who conceive their social identity merely via their work ethics. Consequentially new forms of social exclusion are being producing taxing the traditional social cohesion in European societies due to the demand of new forms of flexibility and mobility from the working people. This process can be termed with the notion 'Hyperprecarisation'. This book contains contributions from scientists all over Europe, Russia and the USA, who are members of the SUPI network “Social Uncertainty, Prequarity, Inequality”." (Publisher information, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Inanc, Hande (2020): Varieties of Precarity: How Insecure Work Manifests Itself, Affects Well-Being, and Is Shaped by Social Welfare Institutions and Labor Market Policies. In: Work and occupations, Jg. 47, H. 4, S. 504–511. DOI:10.1177/0730888420934539

Abstract

"Precarious Lives addresses one of the most important developments in employment relations in the neoliberal era: increase in labor precarity and the subsequent decline in employee well-being. Drawing on data on social welfare institutions and labor market policies in six rich democracies, the author shows that work is less precarious, and workers are happier, when institutions and policies provide job protection, and put in place support systems to buffer job loss." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Kang, Hyunju, Jaevin Park & Hyunduk Suh (2020): The rise of part-time employment in the great recession: Its causes and macroeconomic effects. In: Journal of macroeconomics, Jg. 66. DOI:10.1016/j.jmacro.2020.103257

Abstract

"During the Great Recession, the U.S. economy witnessed a substantial rise in part-time employment for a sustained period. We extend the New Keynesian unemployment model by Galí et al. (2012) to allow substitutions between full-time and part-time labor, and estimate the model’s parameters by using the Bayesian method. Inour model, households and firms can optimally allocate full-time and part-time labor, and disturbances exist in part-time labor supply (household disutility from part-time labor) and part-time labor demand (firms’efficiency to use part-time labor). As for the Great Recession, the initial increase in part-time employment at the outset of the financial crisis is mostly explained by the rise of the risk premia; the persistently high level of part-time employment in the later period is mainly explained by an exogenous increase in part-time labor supply. A part-time labor supply shock also explains a significant portion of slow recovery in the gross wage during the recession, as the shock lowers the part-time wage and the proportion of full-time workers in total employment. Notably, the results from our model suggest that though the transition from full-time to part-time jobs contributed to mitigating the sharp contraction in total employment and labor force during the Great Recession, it played only a limited role in relieving recessionary pressure." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2020 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Appelbaum, Eileen, Arne Kalleberg & Hye Jin Rho (2019): Nonstandard work arrangements and older Americans, 2005-2017. Washington, DC, 25 S.

Abstract

"Nonstandard or alternative employment relations refer to employment by a temporary help agency or contract company or as an on-call worker or day laborer. We refer to these nonstandard employment relations (which involve an employer and employee) and independent contracting collectively as nonstandard or alternative work arrangements in this report. Contingent workers are workers who do not expect their job to last or who report that their jobs are temporary. Contingent workers and workers in alternative work arrangements are measured separately. Both have become increasingly prominent in theoretical and policy thinking about how employment has changed in recent years in the United States and other post-industrial countries.
Until recently, only relatively poor information on the extent of contingent work and nonstandard work arrangements and how this has changed during the past several decades has been available. The May 2017 Contingent Worker Supplement (CWS) - conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 12 years after the last CWS and 22 years after the first -provides an opportunity to examine how contingent work and nonstandard work arrangements have changed over the last two-plus decades. This report examines these changes between 2005 and 2017, with special attention to how older workers - ages 55 to 65 and 65+ - have fared." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Blanchflower, David G. (2019): Not working: Where have all the good jobs gone? Princeton Univ. Press 440 S.

Abstract

"Don't trust low unemployment numbers as proof that the labor market is doing fine - it isn't. Not Working is about those who can't find full-time work at a decent wage - the underemployed - and how their plight is contributing to widespread despair, a worsening drug epidemic, and the unchecked rise of right-wing populism. In this revelatory and outspoken book, David Blanchflower draws on his acclaimed work in the economics of labor and well-being to explain why today's postrecession economy is vastly different from what came before. He calls out our leaders and policymakers for failing to see the Great Recession coming, and for their continued failure to address one of the most unacknowledged social catastrophes of our time. Blanchflower shows how many workers are underemployed or have simply given up trying to find a well-paying job, how wage growth has not returned to prerecession levels despite rosy employment indicators, and how general prosperity has not returned since the crash of 2008.
Standard economic measures are often blind to these forgotten workers, which is why Blanchflower practices the 'economics of walking about' - seeing for himself how ordinary people are faring under the recovery, and taking seriously what they say and do. Not Working is his candid report on how the young and the less skilled are among the worst casualties of underemployment, how immigrants are taking the blame, and how the epidemic of unhappiness and self-destruction will continue to spread unless we deal with it." (Publisher's text, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Broten, Nicholas, Michael Dworsky & David Powell (2019): How do alternative work arrangements affect income risk after workplace injury? (NBER working paper 25989), Cambrige, Mass., 61 S. DOI:10.3386/w25989

Abstract

"Alternative work arrangements, including temporary and contract work, have become more widespread. There is interest in understanding the effects of these types of arrangements on employment and earnings risk for workers and the potential for existing social insurance programs to address this risk. We study employment and earnings risk in the context of workplace injuries among temporary and contract workers. We link administrative workers' compensation claims to earnings records to measure the employment and earnings risk posed by workplace injuries, comparing labor market outcomes after injury between temporary and contract workers and direct-hire workers injured doing the same job. We use a triple-difference identification strategy to isolate the effect of alternative work arrangements. We find that temporary workers have significantly lower probabilities of employment post-injury relative to similar direct-hire workers; temporary workers also have more severe earnings losses, which persist for at least three years after injury. This difference in income risk cannot be explained by differences in employment dynamics between temporary and direct-hire workers. We find evidence that the additional earnings losses suffered by temporary workers are offset by workers' compensation benefits, suggesting that the program provides insurance for the incremental risk faced by temporary workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Datta, Nikhil (2019): Willing to pay for security: A discrete choice experiment to analyse labour supply preferences. (CEP discussion paper 1632), London, 60 S.

Abstract

"This paper investigates the extent to which labour supply preferences are responsible for the marked rise in atypical work arrangements in the UK and US. By employing vignettes in a discrete job choice experiment in a representative survey, I estimate the distribution for preferences and willingness -to-pay over various job attributes. The list of attributes includes key distinguishing factors of typical and atypical work arrangements, such as security, work-related benefits, flexibility, autonomy and taxation implications. The results are indicative that the majority of the population prefer characteristics associated with traditional employee -employer relationships, and this preference holds even when analysing just the sub- sample of those in atypical work arrangements. Additionally, preferences across the UK and US are very similar, despite differences in labour market regulations. Rather than suggesting that labour supply preferences have contributed to the increase in atypical work arrangements, I find that the changing nature of work is likely to have significant negative welfare implications for many workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Even, William E. & David A. Macpherson (2019): The affordable care act and the growth of involuntary part-time employment. In: ILR review, Jg. 72, H. 4, S. 955-980. DOI:10.1177/0019793918796812

Abstract

"This study tests whether the employer mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) increased involuntary part-time (IPT) employment. Using data from the Current Population Survey between 1994 and 2015, the authors find that IPT employment in 2015 exceeded predictions based on economic conditions and the structure of the labor market. Of greater importance, using difference-in-difference methods, they find that the increase in the probability of IPT employment since passage of the ACA was greater in occupations with a larger share of workers affected by the mandate. The authors' estimates suggest that approximately 700,000 additional workers without a college degree are in IPT employment as a result of the ACA employer mandate." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Liu, Kai (2019): Wage risk and the value of job mobility in early employment careers. In: Journal of labor economics, Jg. 37, H. 1, S. 139-185. DOI:10.1086/698898

Abstract

"This paper shows that job mobility is a valuable channel that employed workers use to mitigate bad labor market shocks. I estimate a model of wage dynamics jointly with a dynamic model of employment and job mobility. The key feature of the model is the specification of wage shocks at the worker-firm-match level, for workers can respond to these shocks by changing jobs. I find that, relative to the variance of individual-level shocks, the variance of match-level shocks is large and the consequent value of job mobility is substantial, particularly for workers whose match-specific wages are low." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Stecy-Hildebrandt, Natasha, Sylvia Fuller & Alisyn Burns (2019): 'Bad' jobs in a 'good' sector: Examining the employment outcomes of temporary work in the Canadian public sector. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 33, H. 4, S. 560-579. DOI:10.1177/0950017018758217

Abstract

"Canada's public sector has historically provided good jobs, but its increasing reliance on temporary workers has important implications for job quality. We compare temporary and permanent workers in the public sector on three dimensions of job quality (employment security, access to benefits and income trajectories) to assess whether favourable conditions in the public sector are extended to temporary employees, or whether polarization between temporary and permanent workers is the norm. We find provisions related to employment security and access to leave benefits in public sector collective bargains are clearly two-tiered. Drawing on nationally representative panel data, we also find a persistent earnings gap between matched permanent and temporary employees. Further, although temporary public sector workers out-earn their private sector counterparts, the earnings disadvantage relative to matched permanent workers is more pronounced and longer lasting in the public sector. Underlying this difference is greater persistence in temporary employment within the public sector." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Borowczyk-Martins, Daniel & Etienne Lalé (2018): The ins and outs of involuntary part-time employment. (IZA discussion paper 11826), Bonn, 20 S.

Abstract

"We develop an adjustment procedure to construct U.S. monthly time series of involuntary part-time employment stocks and flows from 1976 until today. Armed with these new data, we provide a comprehensive account of the dynamics of involuntary part-time work. Transitions from full-time to involuntary part-time employment dominate this dynamics, spiking up at recessions' onsets and persisting well into recovery periods. On the other hand, weaknesses in job creation contribute little to these fluctuations. Our data and findings are relevant to inform a broader assessment of labor market performance and to develop models of cyclical labor adjustment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Borowczyk-Martins, Daniel & Etienne Lalé (2018): The welfare effects of involuntary part-time work. In: Oxford economic papers, Jg. 70, H. 1, S. 183-205. DOI:10.1093/oep/gpx033

Abstract

"Employed individuals in the USA are increasingly more likely to move to involuntarily part-time work than to unemployment. Spells of involuntary part-time work are different from unemployment spells: a full-time worker who takes on a part-time job suffers an earnings loss while remaining employed, and is unlikely to receive income compensation from publicly provided insurance programmes. We analyse these differences through the lens of an incomplete-market, job-search model featuring unemployment risk alongside an additional risk of involuntary part-time employment. A calibration of the model consistent with US institutions and labour market dynamics shows that involuntary part-time work generates lower welfare losses relative to unemployment. This finding relies critically on the much higher probability to return to full-time employment from part-time work. We interpret it as a premium in access to full-time work faced by involuntary part-time workers, and use our model to tabulate its value in consumption-equivalent units." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Gelepithis, Margarita & Anne-Marie Jeannet (2018): The political consequences of outsider labour market status in the United States. A micro-level study. In: Social policy and administration, Jg. 52, H. 5, S. 1019-1042. DOI:10.1111/spol.12277

Abstract

"This article contributes to recent research that seeks to understand the political consequences of 'outsider' labour market status. There is an emerging consensus that labour market outsiders have systematically different policy preferences and display systematically different political behaviour to securely employed 'insiders' in Europe. Yet the political consequences of outsider status in the USA are less clear. They may be expected to differ from those that have been documented in the European context, because: (1) the USA is characterized by low employment protection of insiders; and (2) there is evidence that Americans are more reluctant than Europeans to hold governments responsible for personal economic hardship. We therefore use the General Social Survey to examine how outsider labour market status is related to voting behaviour and to social policy preferences in the USA. We find that the concept of 'labour market outsider' - as conventionally operationalized - holds little explanatory power in the American context. Disaggregating the outsider category, our results suggest that the political consequences of outsider labour market status may be contingent on individual beliefs about government responsibility." (Author's abstract, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

Zitatform

Haines, Victor Y. III, Pascall Doray-Demers & Vivianne Martin (2018): Good, bad, and not so sad part-time employment. In: Journal of vocational behavior, Jg. 104, H. February, S. 128-140. DOI:10.1016/j.jvb.2017.10.007

Abstract

"With increases in part-time employment, the need to understand its diverse forms is growing. The aim of this study is to develop a typology of part-time employment on the basis of role occupancy and work characteristics. Latent class analysis was applied to data from a sample of 1826 part-time workers. The pattern of conditional probabilities suggests four types of part-time employment: Good, bad, student, and transition. Further analysis indicates that gender, age, education, seniority, and work experience are correlates of being in one or other types of part-time employment. Finally, good part-time employment is associated with higher job satisfaction and health although better health is reported in student part-time employment." (Author's abstract, © 2018 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Kalleberg, Arne L. & Stephen P. Vallas (Hrsg.) (2018): Precarious work. (Research in the sociology of work 31), Bingley: Emerald, 466 S.

Abstract

"This volume presents original theory and research on precarious work in various parts of the world, identifying its social, political and economic origins, its manifestations in the USA, Europe, Asia, and the Global South, and its consequences for personal and family life.
In the past quarter century, the nature of paid employment has undergone a dramatic change due to globalization, rapid technological change, the decline of the power of workers in favor of employers, and the spread of neoliberalism. Jobs have become far more insecure and uncertain, with workers bearing the risks of employment as opposed to employers or the government. This trend towards precarious work has engulfed virtually all advanced capitalist nations, but unevenly so, while countries in the Global South continue to experience precarious conditions of work.
This title examines theories of precarious work; cross-national variations in its features; racial and gender differences in exposure to precarious work; and the policy alternatives that might protect workers from undue risk. The chapters utilize a variety of methods, both quantitative statistical analyses and careful qualitative case studies. This volume will be a valuable resource that constitutes required reading for scholars, activists, labor leaders, and policy makers concerned with the future of work under contemporary capitalism." (Publisher information, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Pullmann, Ashley (2018): Gendered pathways from school to work: The association between field of study and non-standard employment outcomes in Canada. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Jg. 58, H. December, S. 44-53. DOI:10.1016/j.rssm.2018.10.001

Zitatform

Starzmann, Maria Theresia (2018): Das Elend des Wissensprekariat. In: Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik, Jg. 63, H. 10, S. 105-112.

Abstract

Die Autorin setzt sich kritisch mit der zunehmenden Gewinnorientierung deutscher und amerikanischer Universitäten auseinander, die sich auch im Umgang mit ihren Beschäftigten zeigt. Die Lehrtätigkeit wird immer weiter in sogenannte Gigs ausgelagert: 'befristete Verträge, Teilzeitjobs und Werkverträge, die hierarchisch verwaltet werden. Das führt nicht nur zu einer immer weiteren Spreizung zwischen Verwaltungs- und Lehrstellen, sondern auch zu einer neuen Form der Ausbeutung kognitiver Arbeit'. Bei immer weiter steigenden Studiengebühren sinkt die Qualität des Studiums. Die akademischen Arbeitsbedingungen sind gekennzeichnet durch Entgrenzung, Prekarität, Konkurrenz und Vereinzelung. Viele Akademiker sind daher mutlos und 'zu erschöpft für den Arbeitskampf'. Die Autorin konstatiert einen 'völligen Mangel an Solidarität' unter den Akademikern. Sie plädiert abschließend für die Organisation von Akademikern in Gewerkschaften, Vereinen und Arbeitsgruppen zur Durchsetzung ihrer Interessen und zur Verbesserung ihrer Arbeitsbedingungen. (IAB)

Zitatform

Taylor, Stephanie & Susan Luckman (Hrsg.) (2018): The new normal of working lives. Critical studies in contemporary work and employment. (Dynamics of virtual work), Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 356 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-66038-7

Abstract

"This critical, international and interdisciplinary edited collection investigates the new normal of work and employment, presenting research on the experience of the workers themselves. The collection explores the formation of contemporary worker subjects, and the privilege or disadvantage in play around gender, class, age and national location within the global workforce.
Organised around the three areas of: creative working, digital working lives, and transitions and transformations, its fifteen chapters examine in detail the emerging norms of work and work activities in a range of occupations and locations. It also investigates the coping strategies adopted by workers to manage novel difficulties and life circumstances, and their understandings of the possibilities, trajectories, mobilities, identities and potential rewards of their work situations." (Publisher information, IAB-Doku) ((en))
Inhalt: Stephanie Taylor, Susan Luckman Collection Introduction: The 'New Normal' of Working Lives (1-15);
Part I Creative Working ;
Susan Luckman, Jane Andrew: Online Selling and the Growth of Home-Based Craft Micro-enterprise: The 'New Normal' of Women's Self-(under)Employment (19-39);
Ana Alacovska: Hope Labour Revisited: Post-socialist Creative Workers and Their Methods of Hope (41-63);
Karen Cross: From Visual Discipline to Love-Work: The Feminising of Photographic Expertise in the Age of Social Media (65-85);
Frédérick Harry Pitts: Creative Labour, Before and After 'Going Freelance': Contextual Factors and Coalition-Building Practices (87-107);
Frédérik Lesage: Searching, Sorting, and Managing Glut: Media Software Inscription Strategies for 'Being Creative' (109-126);
Part II Digital Working Lives ;
Katariina Mäkinen: Negotiating the Intimate and the Professional in Mom Blogging (129-146);
Daniel Ashton, Karen Patel: Vlogging Careers: Everyday Expertise, Collaboration and Authenticity (147-169);
Johanna Koroma, Matti Vartiainen: From Presence to Multipresence: Mobile Knowledge Workers' Densified Hours (171-200);
Iva Josefssonn: Affectual Demands and the Creative Worker: Experiencing Selves and Emotions in the Creative Organisation (201-217);
Silvia Ivaldi, Ivana Pais, Giuseppe Scaratti: Coworking(s) in the Plural: Coworking Spaces and New Ways of Managing (219-241);
Part III Transitions and Transformations ;
Kori Allan: 'Investment in Me': Uncertain Futures and Debt in the Intern Economy (245-263);
Hanna-Mari Ikonen: Letting Them Get Close: Entrepreneurial Work and the New Normal (265-283);
Elin Vadelius: Self-Employment in Elderly Care: A Way to Self-Fulfilment or Self-Exploitation for Professionals? (285-308);
Ingrid Biese, Marta Choroszewicz: Creating Alternative Solutions for Work: Expertences of Women Managers and Lawyers in Poland and the USA (309-325);
Stephanie Taylor: Beyond Work? New Expectations and Aspirations (327-345).

Zitatform

Hanson, Gordon, Chen Liu & Craig McIntosh (2017): The rise and fall of U.S. low-skilled immigration. In: Brookings Papers on Economic Activity H. Spring, S. 83-168.

Abstract

"From the 1970s to the early 2000s, the United States experienced an epochal wave of low-skilled immigration. Since the Great Recession, however, U.S. borders have become a far less active place when it comes to the net arrival of foreign workers. The number of undocumented immigrants has declined in absolute terms, while the overall population of low-skilled, foreign-born workers has remained stable. We examine how the scale and composition of low-skilled immigration in the United States have evolved over time, and how relative income growth and demographic shifts in the Western Hemisphere have contributed to the recent immigration slowdown. Because major source countries for U.S. immigration are now seeing and will continue to see weak growth of the labor supply relative to the United States, future immigration rates of young, low-skilled workers appear unlikely to rebound, whether or not U.S. immigration policies tighten further." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hyatt, Henry R. & James R. Spletzer (2017): The recent decline of single quarter jobs. In: Labour economics, Jg. 46, H. June, S. 166-176. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2016.10.001

Abstract

"Rates of hiring and job separation fell by as much as a third in the U.S. between the late 1990s and the early 2010s. Half of this decline is associated with the declining incidence of jobs that start and end in the same calendar quarter, employment events that we call 'single quarter jobs.' We investigate this unique subset of jobs and its decline using matched employer-employee data for the years 1996 - 2012. We characterize the worker demographics and employer characteristics of single quarter jobs, and demonstrate that changes over time in workforce and employer composition explain little of the decline in these jobs. We find that the decline in these jobs accounts for about a third of the decline in the fraction of the population that holds a job in the private sector that occurred from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s. We also find little evidence that single quarter jobs are stepping stones into longer-term employment. Finally, we show that the inclusion or exclusion of these single quarter jobs creates divergent trends in average earnings and the dispersion of earnings for the years 1996 - 2012. To the extent that administrative records measure the volatile tail of the employment distribution better than conventional household surveys, these findings show that measurement of short duration jobs matters for economic analysis." (Author's abstract, © 2017 Elsevier) ((en))

Zitatform

Ovetz, Robert (2017): Click to save and return to course: online education, adjunctification, and the disciplining of academic labour. In: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation, Jg. 11, H. 1, S. 48-70. DOI:10.13169/workorgalaboglob.11.1.0048

Abstract

"There has been little analysis of how neoliberal adjunctification and online education (OLE) are shaping a new academic division of labour in US colleges and universities. OLE rationalises academic labour by separating it from the delivery of educational content while transforming learning into the self-disciplined completion of sequential tasks (e.g. 'competency-based learning') under the panoptic surveillance of online course management systems (CMS). OLE is subtly shifting the very hidden curriculum of higher education to meet the needs of global capital for a more effectively disciplined labour force that can work contingently and remotely with little or no overt coercion. This analysis of the process by which OLE is rationalising academic labour draws upon the ideas of Foucault and Tronti to argue that OLE is a tool for producing a type of disciplined labour that breaks down the borders between productive and reproductive labour in order to colonise all life as work." (Author's abstract, © Pluto Journals Ltd.) ((en))

Zitatform

Antecol, Heather, Kelly Bedard & Jenna Stearns (2016): Equal but inequitable. Who benefits from gender-neutral tenure clock stopping policies? (IZA discussion paper 9904), Bonn, 41 S.

Abstract

"Many skilled professional occupations are characterized by an early period of intensive skill accumulation and career establishment. Examples include law firm associates, surgical residents, and untenured faculty at research-intensive universities. High female exit rates are sometimes blamed on the inability of new mothers to survive the sustained negative productivity shock associated with childbearing and early childrearing in these environments. Gender-neutral family policies have been adopted in some professions in an attempt to 'level the playing field.' The gender-neutral tenure clock stopping policies adopted by the majority of research-intensive universities in the United States in recent decades are an excellent example. But to date, there is no empirical evidence showing that these policies help women. Using a unique data set on the universe of assistant professor hires at top-50 economics departments from 1985-2004, we show that the adoption of gender-neutral tenure clock stopping policies substantially reduced female tenure rates while substantially increasing male tenure rates." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Borowczyk-Martins, Daniel & Etienne Lalé (2016): How bad is involuntary part-time work? (IZA discussion paper 9775), Bonn, 55 S.

Abstract

"We use a set of empirical and analytical tools to conduct parallel analyses of involuntary part-time work and unemployment in the U.S. labor market. In the empirical analysis, we document that the similar cyclical behavior of involuntary part-time work and unemployment masks major differences in the underlying dynamics. Unlike unemployment, variations in involuntary part-time work are mostly explained by its interaction with full-time employment, and since the Great Recession employed workers are at a greater risk of working part-time involuntarily than being unemployed. In the theoretical analysis, we show that the higher probability of regaining full-time employment is key to distinguish involuntary part-time work from unemployment from a worker's perspective. We also quantify the welfare costs of cyclical fluctuations in involuntary part-time work, and the amplification of these costs arising from the elevated levels of involuntary part-time work observed since the Great Recession." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Edisis, Adrienne T. (2016): The effect of unemployment insurance on temporary help services employment. In: Journal of labor research, Jg. 37, H. 4, S. 484-503. DOI:10.1007/s12122-016-9236-1

Abstract

"A model with fixed effects and controls for state-specific linear time trends is developed to analyze the influence of state unemployment insurance taxes on temporary help services employment using state level panel data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Prior research has shown that imperfect experience rating of unemployment insurance taxes increases temporary layoffs and that, conversely, more extensive experience rating leads to a decrease in temporary layoffs. The current analysis demonstrates that more extensive experience rating increases temporary help services agency-intermediated temporary employment. To the extent that the increase in temporary help services employment represents a substitution of temporary help services jobs for traditional direct hire jobs, it implies a negative effect on job quality. Steps to address low unemployment insurance recipiency rates by temporary help services workers may alleviate the impact of unemployment insurance tax structures on temporary help services employment." (Author's abstract, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

Zitatform

Katz, Lawrence F. & Alan B. Krueger (2016): The rise and nature of alternative work arrangements in the United States, 1995-2015. (NBER working paper 22667), Cambrige, Mass., 47 S. DOI:10.3386/w22667

Abstract

"To monitor trends in alternative work arrangements, we conducted a version of the Contingent Worker Survey as part of the RAND American Life Panel in late 2015. The findings point to a significant rise in the incidence of alternative work arrangements in the U.S. economy from 2005 to 2015. The percentage of workers engaged in alternative work arrangements - defined as temporary help agency workers, on-call workers, contract workers, and independent contractors or freelancers - rose from 10.7 percent in February 2005 to 15.8 percent in late 2015. The percentage of workers hired out through contract companies showed the largest rise, increasing from 1.4 percent in 2005 to 3.1 percent in 2015. Workers who provide services through online intermediaries, such as Uber or Task Rabbit, accounted for 0.5 percent of all workers in 2015. About twice as many workers selling goods or services directly to customers reported finding customers through offline intermediaries than through online intermediaries." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Looney, Adam & Day Manoli (2016): Are there returns to experience at low-skill jobs? Evidence from single mothers in the United States over the 1990s. (Upjohn Institute working paper 255), Kalamazoo, Mich., 55 S. DOI:10.17848/wp16-255

Abstract

"Policy changes in the United States in the 1990s resulted in sizable increases in employment rates of single mothers. We show that this increase led to a large and abrupt increase in work experience for single mothers with young children. We then examine the economic return to this increase in experience for affected single mothers. Despite the increases in experience, single mothers' real wages and employment have remained relatively unchanged. The empirical analysis suggests that an additional year of experience increases single mothers' wage rates by less than 2 percent, a percentage lower than previous estimates in the literature." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Pedulla, David S. (2016): Penalized or protected? Gender and the consequences of nonstandard and mismatched employment histories. In: American Sociological Review, Jg. 81, H. 2, S. 262-289. DOI:10.1177/0003122416630982

Abstract

"Millions of workers are employed in positions that deviate from the full-time, standard employment relationship or work in jobs that are mismatched with their skills, education, or experience. Yet, little is known about how employers evaluate workers who have experienced these employment arrangements, limiting our knowledge about how part-time work, temporary agency employment, and skills underutilization affect workers' labor market opportunities. Drawing on original field and survey experiment data, I examine three questions: (1) What are the consequences of having a nonstandard or mismatched employment history for workers' labor market opportunities? (2) Are the effects of nonstandard or mismatched employment histories different for men and women? and (3) What are the mechanisms linking nonstandard or mismatched employment histories to labor market outcomes? The field experiment shows that skills underutilization is as scarring for workers as a year of unemployment, but that there are limited penalties for workers with histories of temporary agency employment. Additionally, although men are penalized for part-time employment histories, women face no penalty for part-time work. The survey experiment reveals that employers' perceptions of workers' competence and commitment mediate these effects. These findings shed light on the consequences of changing employment relations for the distribution of labor market opportunities in the 'new economy.'" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Eichhorst, Werner & Paul Marx (Hrsg.) (2015): Non-standard employment in post-industrial labour markets. An occupational perspective. Cheltenham: Elgar, 435 S. DOI:10.4337/9781781001721

Abstract

"Examining the occupational variation within non-standard employment, this book combines case studies and comparative writing to illustrate how and why alternative occupational employment patterns are formed.
Non-standard employment has grown significantly in most developed economies, varying between countries. Different institutional settings have been deemed accountable for this variation, although inadequate consideration has been given to differences within national labour markets. Through an occupational perspective, this book contends that patterns of non-standard employment are shaped by flexibility in hiring and firing practices and the dispensability of workers' skills. The framework integrates explanations based on labour market regulation, industrial relations and skill supply, filling the gaps in previous scholastic research." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Fuller, Sylvia & Natasha Stecy-Hildebrandt (2015): Career pathways for temporary workers. Exploring heterogeneous mobility dynamics with sequence analysis. In: Social science research, Jg. 50, H. March, S. 76-99. DOI:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2014.11.003

Abstract

"Because temporary jobs are time-delimited, their implications for workers' economic security depend not only on their current characteristics, but also their place in longer-term patterns of mobility. Past research has typically asked whether temporary jobs are a bridge to better employment or trap workers in ongoing insecurity, investigating this question by analyzing single transitions. We demonstrate that this approach is ill-suited to assessing the often more complex and turbulent employment patterns characteristic of temporary workers. Our analysis instead employs sequence methods to compare a representative sample of temporary workers' month-by-month mobility patterns through 8 potential (non)employment states over five years. We derive a typology of trajectories and describe their relative precariousness in relation to employment stability and wage and earnings levels and growth. While some of the pathways correspond quite closely to frameworks used by past research, others reveal new and important distinctions. Multinomial logit models reveal job, employer, and worker characteristics associated with different pathways. Age, gender, and type of temporary work stand out as important factors shaping subsequent mobility patterns." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hatton, Erin (2015): Work beyond the bounds. A boundary analysis of the fragmentation of work. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 29, H. 6, S. 1007-1018. DOI:10.1177/0950017014568141

Abstract

"Scholars have examined many different types of labour, including 'nonmarket', 'informal' and 'underground' work. Such studies elucidate the conditions and consequences for workers in these jobs, while also generally accepting as unproblematic the basic distinctions between such categories of labour and 'market' work. Yet such distinctions should be a central point of interrogation. This article probes these distinctions by analysing the overlapping social and legal boundaries which fragment work into categories of 'market', 'nonmarket', 'informal' and 'underground' labour. Instead of reifying these categorizations, however, this analysis shows them to be socially constructed categories that mutually constitute one another. By systematizing their points of connection and departure, the boundary map presented in this article provides the analytical structure for new comparative research across seemingly dissimilar categories of work, which will extend scholarly understanding of the fragmentation of work and the relationship between work and inequality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Houseman, Susan N. & Carolyn J. Heinrich (2015): Temporary help employment in recession and recovery. (Upjohn Institute working paper 227), Kalamazoo, Mich., 56 S. DOI:10.17848/wp15-227

Abstract

"The temporary help industry, although small, plays a significant role in the macro economy, reflecting employers' growing reliance on temporary help agencies to provide flexibility in meeting staffing needs. Drawing on detailed temporary-help order data between 2007 and 2011 from a large, nationally representative staffing company, we provide insights into the characteristics of temporary help work, employers' use of temporary agencies to screen workers for permanent positions, and the industry's role in labor market adjustment over the business cycle. We estimate that the temporary help industry accounted for a large share of gross job losses and job gains over this period, as well as for a sizable share of net separations and hires. Nearly a third of assignments were observed to end prematurely due to worker performance problems (largely soft skills deficiencies) or quits, and hire rates of workers in temp-to-hire contracts were low. Although most temporary help assignments are short-lived, during the recession, companies lengthened temporary help assignments and reduced hiring from their pool of temps, possibly in response to economic uncertainty. Nominal wage growth among new temporary hires was weak over the five-year period and failed to keep pace with inflation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hyatt, Henry R. & James R. Spletzer (2015): The recent decline of single quarter jobs. (IZA discussion paper 8805), Bonn, 41 S.

Abstract

"Rates of hiring and job separation fell by as much as a third in the U.S. between the late 1990s and the early 2010s. Half of this decline is associated with the declining incidence of jobs that start and end in the same calendar quarter, employment events that we call 'single quarter jobs.' We investigate this unique subset of jobs and its decline using matched employer-employee data for the years 1996-2012. We characterize the worker demographics and employer characteristics of single quarter jobs, and demonstrate that changes over time in workforce and employer composition explain little of the decline in these jobs. We find that the decline in these jobs accounts for about a third of the decline in the fraction of the population that holds a job in the private sector that occurred from the mid -2000s to the early 2010s. We also find little evidence that single quarter jobs are stepping stones into longer-term employment. Finally, we show that the inclusion or exclusion of these single quarter jobs creates divergent trends in average earnings and the dispersion of earnings for the years 1996-2012. To the extent that administrative records measure the volatile tail of the employment distribution better than conventional household surveys, these findings show that measurement of short duration jobs matters for economic analysis." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Baines, Donna, John Campey, Ian Cunningham & John Shields (2014): Not profiting from precarity. The work of nonprofit service delivery and the creation of precariousness. In: Just Labour: A Canadian Journal of Work and Society, Jg. 22, H. Autumn, S. 74-93.

Abstract

"This paper examines the impact of precarity on the nonprofit service providing sector (NPSS). Using in depth qualitative interviews, recent empirically-based surveys of the Ontario nonprofit sector and key academic and grey literature, we explore the deeper meaning of precarity in this sector. We contend that the NPSS is a unique, and in many respects, an ideal location in which to explore the workings and impact of precarity. Looking at the nonprofit sector reveals that precarity operates at various levels, the: 1) nonprofit labour force; 2) organization structure and operation of nonprofit agencies; and, 3) clients and communities serviced by these nonprofit organizations. By observing the workings of precarity in this sector, precarity is revealed to be far more than an employment based phenomenon but also a force that negatively impacts organizational structures as well as vulnerable communities." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Benz, Martina (2014): Zwischen Migration und Arbeit. Worker Centers und die Organisierung prekär und informell Beschäftigter in den USA. Münster: Verl. Westfälisches Dampfboot, 272 S.

Abstract

"Die Studie untersucht Worker Centers anhand von Organisierungen in Gastronomie und Einzelhandel, des Kampfes von Hausarbeiterinnen für Anerkennung und Arbeitsrechte sowie der Strategie der Tagelöhnerzentren in Los Angeles. In diesen Auseinandersetzungen zentral ist die Dynamik der Prekarisierung und Informalisierung, des Ausschlusses und Vorenthaltens von Rechten. Eine besondere Rolle spielt deshalb die Frage nach juristischen Strategien und Rechte-basiertem Aktivismus im Verhältnis zu einer Verschiebung gesellschaftlicher Kräfteverhältnisse. In ihrer Analyse verdeutlicht Martina Benz nicht nur Stärken und Schwächen von Worker Centers, sondern kontextualisiert auch deren Entstehen und weitere Entwicklung im Hinblick auf politische, wirtschaftliche und soziale Rahmenbedingungen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Cech, Erin A. & Mary Blair-Loy (2014): Consequences of flexibility stigma among academic scientists and engineers. In: Work and occupations, Jg. 41, H. 1, S. 86-110. DOI:10.1177/0730888413515497

Abstract

"Flexibility stigma, the devaluation of workers who seek or are presumed to need flexible work arrangements, fosters a mismatch between workplace demands and the needs of professionals. The authors survey 'ideal workers' -- science, technology, engineering, and math faculty at a top research university -- to determine the consequences of working in an environment with flexibility stigma. Those who report this stigma have lower intentions to persist, worse work - life balance, and lower job satisfaction. These consequences are net of gender and parenthood, suggesting that flexibility stigma fosters a problematic environment for many faculty, even those not personally at risk of stigmatization." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Goldring, Luin & Marie-Pier Joly (2014): Immigration, citizenship and racialization at work. Unpacking employment precarity in Southwestern Ontario. In: Just Labour: A Canadian Journal of Work and Society, Jg. 22, H. Autumn, S. 94- 121.

Abstract

"This paper examines the relationship between precarious employment, legal status, and racialization. We conceptualize legal status to include the intersections of immigration and citizenship. Using the PEPSO survey data we operationalize three categories of legal status: Canadian born, foreign-born citizens, and foreign-born non-citizens. First we examine whether the character of precarious work varies depending on legal status, and find that it does: Citizenship by birth or naturalization reduces employment precarity across most dimensions and indicators. Next, we ask how legal status intersects with racialization to shape precarious employment. We find that employment precarity is disproportionately high for racialized non-citizens. Becoming a citizen mitigates employment precarity. Time in Canada also reduces precarity, but not for non-citizens. Foreign birth and citizenship acquisition intersect with racialization unevenly: Canadian born racialized groups exhibit higher employment precarity than racialized foreign-born citizens. Our analysis underscores the importance of including legal status in intersectional analyses of social inequality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hamersma, Sarah, Carolyn Heinrich & Peter Mueser (2014): Temporary help work. Earnings, wages, and multiple job holding. In: Industrial relations, Jg. 53, H. 1, S. 72-100. DOI:10.1111/irel.12047

Abstract

"Temporary help services (THS) employment has been growing in size, particularly among disadvantaged workers. An extended policy debate focuses on the low earnings, limited benefits, and insecurity that such jobs appear to provide. We investigate the earnings and wage differentials observed between THS and other jobs in a sample of disadvantaged workers. We find lower quarterly earnings at THS jobs but a $1 per hour wage premium. We reconcile these findings in terms of the shorter duration and lower hours worked at THS jobs. We interpret the premium as a compensating wage differential." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Kmec, Julie A., Lindsey Trimble O¿Connor & Scott Schieman (2014): Not ideal. The association between working anything but full time and perceived unfair treatment. In: Work and occupations, Jg. 41, H. 1, S. 63-85. DOI:10.1177/0730888413515691

Abstract

"Ideal-worker norms permeate workplaces, guiding employers' evaluation of workers and perceptions of workers' worth. The authors investigate how an ideal-worker norm violation -- working anything but full time -- affects workers' perception of unfair treatment. The authors assess gender and parental status differences in the relationship. Analyses using Midlife Development in the United States II data reveal that women who violate the norm when they have children perceive greater unfair treatment than women who violate the norm but do not have children in the study period. Men who work anything but full time do not perceive unfair treatment. The authors' findings inform efforts to challenge ideal-worker norms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Lewchuk, Wayne, Michelynn Laflèche, Diane Dyson, Luin Goldring, Alan Meisner, Stephanie Procyk, Dan Rosen, John Shields, Peter Viducis & Sam Vrankulj (2014): Is precarious employment low income employment? The changing labour market in Southern Ontario. In: Just Labour: A Canadian Journal of Work and Society, Jg. 22, H. Autumn, S. 51-73.

Abstract

"This paper examines the association between income and precarious employment, how this association is changing and how it is shaped by gender and race. It explores how precarious employment has spread to even middle income occupations and what this implies for our understanding of contemporary labour markets and employment relationship norms. The findings indicate a need to refine our views of who is in precarious employment and a need to re-evaluate the nature of the Standard Employment Relationship, which we would argue is not only becoming less prevalent, but also transitioning into something that is less secure." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Lewchuk, Wayne & Michelynn Laflèche (2014): Precarious employment and social outcomes. In: Just Labour: A Canadian Journal of Work and Society, Jg. 22, H. Autumn, S. 45-50.

Abstract

Der Beitrag führt in das Schwerpunktthema der Ausgabe der Zeitschrift ein, in dem neuere Arbeiten aus dem Umfeld des PEPSO-Projekts (POVERTY & EMPLOYMENT PRECARITY IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO PROJECT) vorgestellt werden. Diese stützen sich zum Teil auf den Bericht "It's More than Poverty: Employment Precarity and Household Well-being", den das PEPSO-Projekt im Jahr 2013 veröffentlicht hat und der Ergebnisse einer Befragung von 4000 Personen aus dem Arbeitsmarktbezirk Toronto-Hamilton präsentiert. Zum anderen Teil stützen sie sich auf vertiefende und begleitende Untersuchungen prekär Beschäftigter. Die Beiträge fragen u.a. ob prekäre Beschäftigung gleichbedeutend ist mit Niedrigeinkommen, untersuchen Prekarität im Non-Profit-Sektor, in dem prekär Beschäftigte Dienstleistungen für andere prekär Beschäftigte erbringen, fragen nach dem Einfluss ethnischer Faktoren, speziell bei Einwanderinnen, oder nach der Besonderheit einer Beschäftigung von Saisonarbeitern in der Landwirtschaft im Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP). Außerdem wird der Erfolg städtischer Reinigungskräfte in Toronto dokumentiert, die verhindert haben, dass ihre Arbeitsplätze outgesourct und sie in die gewerbliche Wirtschaft überführt werden. (IAB)

Zitatform

Cappelli, Peter H. & J. R. Keller (2013): A study of the extent and potential causes of alternative employment arrangements. In: ILR review, Jg. 66, H. 4, S. 874-901. DOI:10.1177/001979391306600406

Abstract

"The notion of regular, full-time employment as one of the defining features of the U.S. economy has been called into question in recent years by the apparent growth of alternative or 'nonstandard' work arrangements - part-time hours, temporary help, independent contracting, and other configurations. Identifying the extent of these arrangements, whether they are increasing and where they occur, is the first step to understanding their implications for the economy and the society. But such steps have been difficult to take because of the lack of appropriate data. Based on a national probability sample of U.S. establishments, the authors present estimates of the extent of these practices, evidence on changes in their use over time, and analyses that contribute to understanding why alternatives have come into play." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Jorgensen, Helene (2013): Does it pay to volunteer? The relationship between volunteer work and paid work. Washington, DC, 12 S.

Abstract

"It is widely believed that volunteering will improve workers' job prospects. The logic is that volunteering offers opportunities to expand work-related experience, develop new skills, and build a network of professional contacts. For young people with little history of paid employment it can also signal that a person would be a reliable and motivated employee. In spite of these widespread views about volunteering, surprisingly little research has been done on the effect of volunteering on employment and pay in the United States. This analysis examines volunteering as a pathway to employment during a period of high unemployment, when it is reasonable to expect the beneficial effects of volunteering to be especially pronounced." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Ono, Yukako & Daniel Sullivan (2013): Manufacturing plants' use of temporary workers. An analysis using census microdata. In: Industrial relations, Jg. 52, H. 2, S. 419-443. DOI:10.1111/irel.12018

Abstract

"Using plant-level data from the plant capacity utilization survey, we explore how manufacturing plants' use of temporary workers is associated with the nature of their output fluctuations and other plant characteristics. We find that plants tend to use temporary workers when their output is expected to fall; this may indicate that firms use temporary workers to reduce costs associated with dismissing permanent employees. In addition, we find that plants whose future output levels are subject to greater uncertainty tend to use more temporary workers. We also examine the effects of wage and benefit levels for permanent workers, unionization rates, turnover rates, seasonal factors, and plant size and age on the use of temporary workers; based on our results, we discuss various views of why firms use temporary workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Silva, Jose I. & Javier Vázquez-Grenno (2013): The ins and outs of unemployment in a two-tier labor market. In: Labour economics, Jg. 24, H. October, S. 161-169. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2013.08.009

Abstract

"This paper aims to shed some light on the dynamics of the Spanish labor market, using data from the Spanish Labor Force Survey for the period 1987 to 2010. We examine transition rates in a three-state model and compare our results with those reported for the UK and the US. Explicitly, introducing the employment duality present in the Spanish labor market, we study labor market dynamics in a four-state model set-up and we compute the contribution of the different transitions rates to unemployment fluctuations. Our main findings are as follows: i) around 85% the employment - unemployment gross flows involve temporary contracts; ii) the transition rates involving temporary employment account for around 60% of the fluctuations in the unemployment rate; iii) almost 80% of the unemployment rate volatility - explained by movements between unemployment and employment - involves the transition rates to/from temporary jobs. Our overall conclusion points out that the employment duality is the key to understanding the unemployment volatility and the functioning of the Spanish labor market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Cahill, Kevin E., Michael D. Giandrea & Joseph F. Quinn (2012): Older workers and short-term jobs. Patterns and determinants. In: Monthly labor review, Jg. 135, H. 5, S. 19-32.

Abstract

"Data from the longitudinal Health and Retirement Study indicate that, among older Americans with work experience since age 50, approximately 12 percent of men and 32 percent of women never held a full-time career job; the retirement patterns of these non-full-time career older workers are diverse, just as they are for individuals with career jobs." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Cappelli, Peter H. & J. R. Keller (2012): A study of the extent and potential causes of alternative employment arrangements. (NBER working paper 18376), Cambridge, Mass., 44 S. DOI:10.3386/w18376

Abstract

"The notion of regular, full-time employment as one of the defining features of the U.S. economy has been called into question in recent years by the apparent growth of alternative or 'nonstandard' arrangements - part-time work, temporary help, independent contracting, and other arrangements. Identifying the extent of these arrangements, whether they are increasing, and where they occur is the first step for understanding their implications for the economy and the society. But this has been difficult to do because of the lack of appropriate data. We present estimates of the extent of these practices based on a national probability sample of U.S. establishments, evidence on changes in their use over time, and analyses that help us begin to understand why they are used." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Cella, Gian Primo (2012): The representation of non-standard workers. Theory and culture of collective bargaining. In: Transfer, Jg. 18, H. 2, S. 171-184. DOI:10.1177/1024258912439144

Abstract

"Zu Beginn dieses Beitrags wird festgestellt, dass die Beziehungen zwischen Arbeit und Produktionssystemen bzw. -strukturen am Ende des 19. und des 20. Jahrhunderts verblüffende Ähnlichkeiten aufweisen. Aus der Vergangenheit lassen sich verschiedene Möglichkeiten für die Vertretung von Arbeitnehmern in atypischen Arbeitsverhältnissen ableiten. Als 'atypisch' wird Arbeit bezeichnet, die sich von den institutionalisierten, im Zeitalter der tayloristisch-fordistischen Produktion vorherrschenden Arbeitsformen unterscheidet. Bedeutende Vorläufer atypischer Beschäftigungsformen hat es aber bereits im 19. Jahrhundert gegeben. In Bezug auf gewerkschaftliche Kulturen und Strategien wird die These vertreten, dass es einer Änderung der Verhandlungspraxis und -logik im Sinne der Theorie von Sydney und Beatrice Webb bedarf, um diejenigen Gruppen atypischer Arbeitnehmer, die sich stärker vom klar definierten, stilisierten Arbeitnehmer des Industriezeitalters unterscheiden, in geeigneter Weise vertreten zu können. Aus dieser Perspektive ist es möglich, Arbeitnehmergruppen an beiden Enden des Arbeitsmarkts zu repräsentieren - sowohl hochqualifizierte, halbselbständig tätige Fachkräfte als auch Arbeitnehmer in atypischen Arbeitsverhältnissen mit allgemeineren Fähigkeiten, die potentiell der Gruppe der erwerbstätigen Armen angehören. Dieser Ansatz könnte den Weg ebnen für eine Gewerkschaftsbewegung, bei der nur wenige Arbeitskräfte von kollektiver Interessenvertretung ausgeschlossen sind, wenn auch der Begriff 'kollektiv' anders zu verstehen ist als in der Vergangenheit." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Dey, Matthew, Susan Houseman & Anne Polivka (2012): Manufacturers' outsourcing to staffing services. In: ILR review, Jg. 65, H. 3, S. 533-559. DOI:10.1177/001979391206500303

Abstract

"The authors estimate the effects of U.S. manufacturers' use of staffing services on measured employment and labor productivity between 1989 and 2009. Using time series data constructed from the Occupational Employment Statistics program, they document the dramatic increase in manufacturers' use of staffing services to fill core production occupations and to adjust employment levels during recessions. In 2006, just before the current recession, staffing services added an estimated 9.2% to manufacturing employment, a noteworthy increase from the 2.3% they added in 1989. Outsourcing to staffing services significantly dampened measured employment volatility and inflated the growth and volatility of measured labor productivity in manufacturing." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Hamersma, Sarah, Carolyn Heinrich & Peter Mueser (2012): Temporary help work: compensating differentials and multiple job-holding. (IZA discussion paper 6759), Bonn, 54 S.

Abstract

"Temporary Help Services (THS) employment has been growing in size, particularly among disadvantaged workers, and in importance in balancing cyclical fluctuations in labor demand. Does THS employment provide some benefits to disadvantaged workers, or divert them from better jobs? We investigate whether THS jobs pay a compensating differential, as would be expected for relatively undesirable jobs. We also address multiple job-holding, exploring whether workers get 'stuck' in THS jobs. We find lower quarterly earnings at THS jobs relative to others, but a $1 per hour wage premium. We reconcile these findings by examining hours worked at THS and traditional jobs." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Kalleberg, Arne L. (2012): Job quality and precarious work. Clarifications, controversies, and challenges. In: Work and occupations, Jg. 39, H. 4, S. 427-448. DOI:10.1177/0730888412460533

Abstract

"In this article, the author engages with the authors of the articles in this Special Issue by clarifying some aspects of the arguments in 'Good Jobs, Bad Jobs: The Rise of Polarized and Precarious Employment Systems in the United States, 1970s to 2000s'; addressing selected matters of controversy; and highlighting central policy challenges raised by the rise of polarized and precarious employment systems. The author organizes his comments around several key themes raised by these authors: The causes of changes in job quality; the polarization model; cross-national differences in precarious work; and policy recommendations and the politics of job quality." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Liu, Cathy Yang & Ric Kolenda (2012): Counting and understanding the contingent workforce. Using Georgia as an example. In: Urban studies, Jg. 49, H. 5, S. 1003-1025. DOI:10.1177/0042098011408139

Abstract

"Contingent workers are a large and increasingly important segment of the US labour force. This paper uses the Contingent Work Supplement of the Current Population Survey to gain some understanding of this workforce and to link that information to larger on-going annual and decennial surveys for sub-national-level estimation and analysis. A typology is developed of the non-standard workforce based on their work arrangement and the industries in which they concentrate; with four types of worker: contingent core, standard workers in contingent industries, non-standard workers in traditional industries, and traditional workers. The state of Georgia is used as an example of a regional economy that has experienced much economic growth in recent years and possibly a surge in contingent workforce as well. Characterising these workers by demographic and economic characteristics demonstrates much diversity across these four groups. Possible policy implications on employment quality and economic development are also discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Munnell, Alicia, Jean-Pierre Aubry, Joshua Hurwitz & Laura Quinby (2012): Public plans and short-term employees. (NBER working paper 18448), Cambridge, Mass., 64 S. DOI:10.3386/w18448

Abstract

"Public sector defined benefit pension plans are based on final earnings. As such, these plans are back-loaded; those with long careers receive substantial benefits and those who leave early receive little. The analysis consists of three parts. The first section discusses the design of state and local defined benefit plans, documents the extent to which traditional public sector final earnings plans are back-loaded, and explores the extent to which the incentives may reflect the preferences of employers. The second section shows how participation in final earnings plans affects the lifetime resources of state and local workers of various tenures compared to private sector workers. The third section presents plan-level data on the flows of participants out of the plan by age and tenure and explores the extent to which plan design - specifically, vesting periods, mandatory participation in a defined contribution plan, and Social Security coverage - affects the probability of vesting and the probability of remaining to the earliest full retirement age once vested. The findings suggest that complete reliance on delayed vesting and final earnings plans results in minimal benefits for most short-service public employees. Hence, the recent trend towards hybrid arrangements is a positive development not only for risk sharing between taxpayers and participants but also for a more equitable distribution of benefits between short-term and career employees." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Sala, Hector, José I. Silva & Manuel Toledo (2012): Flexibility at the margin and labor market volatility in OECD countries. In: The Scandinavian journal of economics, Jg. 114, H. 3, S. 991-1017. DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9442.2012.01715.x

Abstract

"We study the business-cycle behavior of segmented labor markets with flexibility at the margin (e.g., just affecting fixed-term contracts). We present a matching model with temporary and permanent jobs (i) where there is a gap in the firing costs associated with these types of jobs and (ii) where there are restrictions in the creation and duration of fixed-term contracts. We show that a labor market with 'flexibility at the margin' increases the unemployment volatility with respect to one that is fully regulated. This analysis yields new insights into the interpretation of the recent volatility changes witnessed in the OECD area." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Briscoe, Forrest, Mark Wardell & Steve Sawyer (2011): Membership has its privileges? Contracting and access to jobs that accommodate work-life needs. In: Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Jg. 64, H. 2, S. 258-282.

Abstract

"Using job-spell data based on an original survey of Information Technology (IT) degree graduates from five U.S. universities, the authors investigate the link between contracting and a set of job characteristics (accommodating flexible work hours, total work hours, and working from home) associated with work-life needs. Compared with regular employees in similar jobs, workers in both independent- and agency-contracting jobs report more often working at home and working fewer hours per week. Further, agency contracting (but not independent contracting) is associated with lower odds of being able to set one's own work hours. Important differences also emerge in workplaces of varying sizes. For each job characteristic, as workplace size increases, independent contracting jobs deteriorate relative to regular employment jobs. As a consequence, in large workplaces, independent contracting jobs appear to be less accommodating of work-life needs than regular employment jobs." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Coleman-Jensen, Alisha J. (2011): Working for peanuts: Nonstandard work and food insecurity across household structure. In: Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Jg. 32, H. 1, S. 84-97. DOI:10.1007/s10834-010-9190-7

Abstract

"This study investigates the relationship between household head's work form (by considering number of hours worked and multiple job holding) and household food insecurity utilizing the Food Security Supplement to the Current Population Survey. Households where the head is employed in multiple jobs, in work with varied hours, or part-time work are more likely to be food insecure than households with a head in a regular full-time job, even when controlling for income and other social demographic characteristics. Models are estimated separately for married couple, cohabiting, male-headed, female-headed and single-person households to show the interaction between work form and household structure. The relationship between food insecurity and nonstandard work arrangements may be due to unstable incomes and complex schedules." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Kalleberg, Arne L. (2011): Good jobs, bad jobs. The rise of polarized and precarious employment systems in the United States, 1970s to 2000s. (American Sociological Association's Rose Series in Sociology), New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 292 S.

Abstract

"The economic boom of the 1990s veiled a grim reality: in addition to the growing gap between rich and poor, the gap between good and bad quality jobs was also expanding. The postwar prosperity of the mid-twentieth century had enabled millions of American workers to join the middle class, but as the author shows, by the 1970s this upward movement had slowed, in part due to the steady disappearance of secure, well-paying industrial jobs. Ever since, precarious employment has been on the rise - paying low wages, offering few benefits, and with virtually no long-term security. Today, the polarization between workers with higher skill levels and those with low skills and low wages is more entrenched than ever. The book traces this trend to large-scale transformations in the American labor market and the changing demographics of low-wage workers. The author draws on nearly four decades of survey data, as well as his own research, to evaluate trends in U.S. job quality and suggest ways to improve American labor market practices and social policies. The book provides an insightful analysis of how and why precarious employment is gaining ground in the labor market and the role these developments have played in the decline of the middle class. The author shows that by the 1970s, government deregulation, global competition, and the rise of the service sector gained traction, while institutional protections for workers - such as unions and minimum-wage legislation - weakened. Together, these forces marked the end of postwar security for American workers. The composition of the labor force also changed significantly; the number of dual-earner families increased, as did the share of the workforce comprised of women, non-white, and immigrant workers. Of these groups, blacks, Latinos, and immigrants remain concentrated in the most precarious and low-quality jobs, with educational attainment being the leading indicator of who will earn the highest wages and experience the most job security and highest levels of autonomy and control over their jobs and schedules." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Lewchuk, Wayne, Marlea Clarke & Alice de Wolff (2011): Working without commitments. The health effects of precarious employment. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 335 S.

Abstract

"From the end of the Second World War to the early 1980s, the North American norm was that men had full-time jobs, earned a 'family wage,' and expected to stay with the same employer for life. In households with children, most women were unpaid caregivers. This situation began to change in the mid-1970s as two-earner households became commonplace, with women entering employment through temporary and part-time jobs. Since the 1980s, less permanent precarious employment has increasingly become the norm for all workers. The book offers a new understanding of the social and health impacts of this change in the modern workplace, where outsourcing, limited term contracts, and the elimination of pensions and health benefits have become the new standard. Using information from interviews and surveys with workers in less permanent employment, the authors show how precarious employment affects the health of workers, labour productivity, and the sustainability of the traditional family model. A timely and relevant work for uncertain economic times, Working Without Commitments provides helpful information for understanding the present workplace and securing better futures for today's workforce." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Scott-Marshall, Heather & Emile Tompa (2011): The health consequences of precarious employment experiences. In: Work. A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation, Jg. 38, H. 4, S. 369-382. DOI:10.3233/WOR-2011-1140

Abstract

"Objective: This study provides a test of a conceptual framework of the stress-related health consequences of 'precarious' employment experiences defined as those associated with instability, lack of protection, insecurity across various dimensions of work, and social and economic vulnerability...
Results: Certain work characteristics (low earnings, the lack of an annual wage increase, substantial unpaid overtime hours, the absence of pension benefits, manual work) predict an increased risk of adverse general and/or functional health outcomes.
Conclusions: Proactive regulatory initiatives and all-encompassing benefits programs are urgently required to address emerging work forms and arrangements that present risks to health." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Wittmer, Jenell L. S. & James E. Martin (2011): Effects of scheduling perceptions on attitudes and mobility in different part-time employee types. In: Journal of vocational behavior, Jg. 78, H. 1, S. 149-158. DOI:10.1016/j.jvb.2010.07.004

Abstract

"Recent research supports the existence of a typology of part-time employees with demographic and behavioral differences. This research suggests that part-timers should not be viewed as one homogenous group and that certain part-time employee groups have fixed external role attachments, while others have more flexible attachments. Applying the part-time typology and the classification of fixed versus flexible attachments from previous research, the current study examines differences in the relationships among scheduling perceptions, job attitudes, and employment mobility for part-timers. Consistent with Partial Inclusion Theory, we found that part-time workers classified as having more fixed outside role attachments have lower organizational commitment, job satisfaction, employment mobility, work status congruence, scheduling control, and scheduling satisfaction than those classified as having more flexible outside role attachments. Additionally, the flexibility of external role attachments moderates the relationship between scheduling variables and job attitudes and employment mobility. Implications for management and research are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Zhou, Yanfei (2011): Working as an independent contractor in Japan and the U.S.: Is it a good option for married women with young children? In: Japan labor review, Jg. 8, H. 1, S. 103-124.

Abstract

"This research focuses an married women with children, and asks whether independent contract work, which is known as offering freedom and flexibility, is really an attractive option for such women, through a comparison of data from Japan and the U.S. The analysis results Show that in both Japan and the U.S., women are more likely to be employed in independent contract work if they have children under the age of six, and that the greater the number of children they have the more likely they are to be employed as independent contractors. This indicates that it is an employment format that offers future opportunities when considered from the perspective of work-life Balance. On the other hand, regular employees earn 1.5 times (in the U.S.) to 2.3 times (in Japan) the income of independent contractors, and the benefits and working conditions for independent contractors are poor. Furthermore, the probability of independent contractors falling into a situation where they are working for low pay or long hours is higher than regular employees by 17.1% points and 16.2% points, respectively, in the U.S., and by 47.1% points and 30.0% points, respectively, in Japan. This research established that independent contractors in Japan are particularly at risk of falling into 'bad jobs' when compared to those in regular employment. This difference in benefits, etc., when compared with regular employees, can be partially accounted for by individual differences in educational attainment, social experience, residential area, etc., as well as individual preferences, but there is a significant proportion that remains unexplained by these factors." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Autor, David & Susan N. Houseman (2010): Do temporary-help jobs improve labor market outcomes for low-skilled workers? Evidence from 'work first'. In: American Economic Journal. Applied Economics, Jg. 2, H. 3, S. 96-128. DOI:10.1257/app.2.3.96

Abstract

"Temporary-help jobs offer rapid entry into paid employment, but they are typically brief and it is unknown whether they foster longer term employment. We utilize the unique structure of Detroit's welfare-to-work program to identify the effect of temporary-help jobs on labor market advancement. Exploiting the rotational assignment of welfare clients to numerous nonprofit contractors with differing job placement rates, we find that temporary-help job placements do not improve and may diminish subsequent earnings and employment outcomes among participants. In contrast, job placements with direct-hire employers substantially raise earnings and employment over a seven quarter follow-up period." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Cao, Shutao, Enchuan Shao & Pedro Silos (2010): Fixed-term and permanent employment contracts. Theory and evidence. (CESifo working paper 3150), München, 49 S.

Abstract

"This paper constructs a theory of the coexistence of fixed-term and permanent employment contracts in an environment with ex-ante identical workers and employers. Workers under fixed-term contracts can be dismissed at no cost while permanent employees enjoy labor protection. In a labor market characterized by search and matching frictions, firms find optimal to discriminate by offering some workers a fixed-term contract while offering other workers a permanent contract. Match-specific quality between a worker and a firm determines the type of contract offered. We analytically characterize the firm's hiring and firing rules. Using matched employer-employee data from Canada, we estimate the wage equations from the model. The effects of firing costs on wage inequality vary dramatically depending on whether search externalities are taken or not into account." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Chen, Juan & Mary E. Corcoran (2010): Temporary employment and the transition from welfare to work. In: Social Service Review, Jg. 84, H. 2, S. 175-200. DOI:10.1086/653457

Abstract

"This study analyzes the employment patterns of current and former welfare recipients over a 6-year period to examine who works in temporary jobs, the dynamics of temping, and the training and links to regular jobs that temping provides. It also compares the long-term employment outcomes of temps with those of direct-hire employees. Results suggest recipients who temp and recipients who work only in direct-hire jobs are more alike than different in skill deficits, work barriers, and family constraints. The major difference is recipients who temp are more likely to be African American. Most recipients who temp do so for short periods of time; many report temporary employment provides training and links to regular jobs. At the end of 6 years, the employment rates and employment durations for recipients who temp are similar to those for recipients who work only in direct-hire jobs, but temps have statistically significantly lower hourly wages." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Eichhorst, Werner, Paul Marx & Eric Thode (2010): Atypische Beschäftigung und Niedriglohnarbeit. Benchmarking Deutschland: Befristete und geringfügige Tätigkeiten, Zeitarbeit und Niedriglohnbeschäftigung. Gütersloh, 53 S.

Abstract

"Die Diskussion über die Schaffung neuer, zusätzlicher Arbeitsplätze durch institutionelle Reformen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt dreht sich im Kern in zahlreichen europäischen Staaten um die Rolle 'atypischer' Beschäftigungsverhältnisse. Diese orientieren sich nicht an unbefristeter Vollzeitarbeit (dem sogenannten Normalarbeitsverhältnis), die in der Regel tarifvertraglich geregelt ist und den vollen Schutz der sozialen Sicherungssysteme in Deutschland gewährt. Auf der einen Seite bieten atypische Arbeitsverhältnisse tatsächlich zusätzliche Erwerbschancen insbesondere im Dienstleistungssektor, auf der anderen Seite zeichnen sie sich oft durch Abweichungen vom jeweiligen tarif-, unternehmens- oder betriebsüblichen Standard hinsichtlich Arbeitszeiten, Entlohnung oder Bestandssicherheit aus. Die Notwendigkeit der Re-Regulierung atypischer Beschäftigungsformen steht deshalb auf dem Prüfstand und wird je nach Perspektive - beschäftigungspolitische vs. sozialpolitische Orientierung - unterschiedlich bewertet. Auf der Grundlage der empirischen Beobachtungen ist ein differenziertes Urteil über die Bedeutung atypischer Beschäftigung und von deren Chancen und Risiken möglich." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Elcioglu, Emine Fidan (2010): Producing precarity: The temporary staffing agency in the labor market. In: Qualitative Sociology, Jg. 33, H. 2, S. 117-136. DOI:10.1007/s11133-010-9149-x

Abstract

"On the basis of fieldwork in a temporary staffing agency (TSA), I argue that while temp agencies may provide transitional mobility for jobseekers, in the long run the TSA systematically exploits and reproduces structural vulnerability in the labor market. The agency creates a core of permanent temporary workers separate from the periphery of surplus workers, such that the former is given priority in job allocation. The staffing agency can use alliances with institutions such as private correctional facilities to control its peripheral workers. At the same time, highly valued core workers also face precarious conditions when they are barred from job mobility and their wages are capped. The agency further reinforces precariousness during the moment of work by extending the agency's surveillance to client sites." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Galarneau, Diane (2010): Temporary employment in the downturn. In: Perspectives on Labour and Income, Jg. 11, H. 11, S. 5-15.

Abstract

"This article tracks trends in temporary employment since the Labour Force Survey (LFS) began measuring it from 1997 to 2009 with particular attention to the recent economic downturn. It also examines the earnings gap between temporary and permanent positions and looks at whether that gap changed during the recent employment slowdown." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Luo, Tian, Amar Mann & Richard Holden (2010): The expanding role of temporary help services from 1990 to 2008. In: Monthly Labor Review, Jg. 133, H. 8, S. 3-16.

Abstract

"During the 1990 - 2008 period, employment in the temporary help services industry grew from 1.1 million to 2.3 million and came to include a larger share of workers than before in higher skill occupations; employment in this industry has been very volatile because temporary workers are easily hired when demand increases and laid off when it decreases." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Quesnel-Vallee, Amelie, Suzanne DeHaney & Antonio Ciampi (2010): Temporary work and depressive symptoms. A propensity score analysis. In: Social science & medicine, Jg. 70, H. 12, S. 1982-1987. DOI:10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.02.008

Abstract

"Recent decades have seen a tremendous increase in the complexity of work arrangements, through job sharing, flexible hours, career breaks, compressed work weeks, shift work, reduced job security, and part-time, contract and temporary work. In this study, we focus on one specific group of workers that arguably most embodies non-standard employment, namely temporary workers, and estimate the effect of this type of employment on depressive symptom severity. Accounting for the possibility of mental health selection into temporary work through propensity score analysis, we isolate the direct effects of temporary work on depressive symptoms with varying lags of time since exposure. We use prospective data from the U.S. National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79), which has followed, longitudinally, from 1979 to the present, a nationally representative cohort of American men and women between 14 and 22 years of age in 1979. Three propensity score models were estimated, to capture the effect of different time lags (immediately following exposure, and 2 and 4 years post exposure) between the period of exposure to the outcome. The only significant effects were found among those who had been exposed to temporary work in the two years preceding the outcome measurement. These workers report 1.803 additional depressive symptoms from having experienced this work status (than if they had not been exposed). Moreover, this difference is both statistically and substantively significant, as it represents a 50% increase from the average level of depressive symptoms in this population." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Wilson, Amanda (2010): Co-opting precariousness: can worker cooperatives be alternatives to precarious employment for marginalized populations? A case study of immigrant and refugee worker cooperatives in Canada. In: Just Labour: A Canadian Journal of Work and Society, Jg. 16, S. 59-75.

Abstract

"This article seeks to analyze whether, or to what degree, worker cooperatives are providing immigrant and refugee populations in Canada with a viable alternative to precarious employment, and if so, in what ways. Much of the existing research on precarious employment is limited in that it fails to address the root causes of precarious employments and fails to offer solutions or alternatives that can be organized by workers themselves, today. While several challenges remain to organizing and sustaining worker cooperatives, the cooperatives studied were successful in creating an alternative space of employment that provided control and flexibility over their work and lives and a sense of community and empowerment. More research is needed to better support and facilitate the development of cooperatives to truly harness the potential for the model." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Abstract

Der Bericht gibt einen Überblick über die wirtschaftliche Situation der Leiharbeitsbranche weltweit. Auf der Grundlage von Daten aus dem Jahr 2009 wird die Verbreitung und der Umsatz von Leiharbeitsunternehmen sowie die Anzahl und Struktur der Leiharbeitnehmer dargestellt. Dabei wird auf die Alterstruktur, die Bildungsstruktur und die sektorale Verteilung von Leiharbeitnehmern eingegangen sowie auf ihre Motive und ihre Zufriedenheit mit der Arbeit. Außerdem wird thematisiert, warum Unternehmen Leiharbeit einsetzen und welche wirtschaftliche Bedeutung von Leiharbeit zukommt. Weitweit gibt es 72.000 Leiharbeitsunternehmen mit 741.000 Beschäftigten, die insgesamt im Jahr 2009 einen Umsatz von rund 203 Milliarden Euro erwirtschafteten. Japan und die USA liegen dabei mit jeweils über 20 Prozent des Gesamtumsatzes an der Spitze; auf Europa entfallen rund 40 Prozent des Umsatzes. Infolge der weltweiten Wirtschaftskrise hat auch die Leiharbeitsbranche einen Einbruch erlitten, sie hat sich jedoch mit dem Aufschwung wieder deutlich erholt. Die Bedeutung von Leiharbeit wird darin gesehen, dass sie die Flexibilität und Durchlässigkeit von Arbeitsmärkten erhöht: Es werden neue Arbeitsplätze geschaffen, und Leiharbeit kann für Arbeitslose ein Sprungbrett in den Arbeitsmarkt darstellen. Somit wird Leiharbeit als ein Mittel zur Bekämpfung von Arbeitslosigkeit und Schwarzarbeit betrachtet. (IAB)

Zitatform

Addison, John T. & Christopher J. Surfield (2009): Atypical work and employment continuity. In: Industrial relations, Jg. 48, H. 4, S. 655-683. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-232X.2009.00580.x

Abstract

"Atypical employment arrangements have long been criticized as offering more precarious and unstable work than regular employment. Using data from the Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangement Supplement and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 Cohort, we determine whether workers who take such jobs rather than regular employment, or the alternative of continued job search, experience greater or lesser employment continuity. Controlling for unobserved individual heterogeneity, the advantage of regular work over atypical work and atypical work over continued joblessness dissipates." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Addison, John T., Chad Cotti & Christopher J. Surfield (2009): Atypical work: who gets it, and where does it lead? Some U.S. evidence using the NLSY79. (IZA discussion paper 4444), Bonn, 26 S.

Abstract

"Atypical work arrangements have long been criticized as offering more precarious and lower paid work than regular open-ended employment. In an important paper, Booth et al. (2002) were among the first to recognize that notwithstanding their potential deficiencies, such jobs also functioned as a stepping stone to permanent work. This conclusion proved prescient and has received increasing support in Europe. In the present note, we provide a parallel analysis to Booth et al. for the United States - somewhat of a missing link in the evolving empirical literature - and obtain not dissimilar similar findings for the category of temporary workers as do they for fixed-term contract workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))