Prekäre Beschäftigung
Unter den Begriff "Prekäre Beschäftigung" fallen Arbeitsverhältnisse mit niedrigen Löhnen, die häufig nicht auf Dauer und Kontinuität angelegt sind, keine Absicherung durch die Sozialversicherung und nur geringe arbeitsrechtliche Schutzrechte aufweisen. Der Begriff ist umstritten - und noch viel mehr die Frage: Wirken prekäre Beschäftigungsverhältnisse immer ausgrenzend oder leisten sie auch einen notwendigen Beitrag zur Flexibilisierung des Arbeitsmarktes? Die Infoplattform erschließt Informationen zum Forschungsstand.
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Literaturhinweis
Contextualizing inequalities in the gig economy: evidence from online cleaning platforms in five European cities (2026)
Zitatform
Giuliani, Giovanni Amerigo & Rebecca Paraciani (2026): Contextualizing inequalities in the gig economy: evidence from online cleaning platforms in five European cities. In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, Jg. 46, H. 5-6, S. 736-755. DOI:10.1108/ijssp-12-2024-0619
Abstract
"Purpose: This paper explores the impact of national contexts on the profile of workers in the gig economy, with a specific focus on online cleaning platforms. The study aims to understand how national contexts influence the gender and ethnic composition of workers on domestic cleaning platforms, examining the intersectional effects of gender and ethnicity in platform-based work. Design/methodology/approach: Focusing on the case of the Yoopies platform operating in five Western European cities – Berlin, Copenhagen, Paris, Rome and Stockholm – this exploratory research is based on an original dataset that combines platform-based data directly collected from Yoopies with national-level data provided by Eurostat. Hypotheses were tested using simple correlation analysis to assess cross-country differences. Findings: The study shows that national contexts play an important role in shaping the gender and ethnic composition of workers on online cleaning platforms. Specifically, it identifies how structural features of the offline labor market influence the gendering and racialization of these platforms, highlighting variations across countries. The research also finds evidence of intersectional effects, where gender and ethnicity intersect to shape the profile of platform workers. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the growing literature on domestic work in the digital platform economy by providing a comparative perspective on cross-country differences in the composition of the platform workforce. It highlights the importance of national offline labor market characteristics in contributing to shaping platform-mediated work and provides new insights into the intersectionality of gender, ethnicity, and work in the gig economy. The findings contribute to both platform economy research and labor market studies, offering implications for policy and future research on the dynamics of digital work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Emerald Group) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
From Precarious Work to Precarious Lives: Managing and Navigating Uncertainty at the Intersections of Employment, Households and the State (2026)
Zitatform
Herman, Eva, Gail Hebson & Jill Rubery (2026): From Precarious Work to Precarious Lives: Managing and Navigating Uncertainty at the Intersections of Employment, Households and the State. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 40, H. 1, S. 45-66. DOI:10.1177/09500170251359125
Abstract
"This article investigates the intersection between precarious work and precarious lives through interviews with workers in the care, hospitality and art sectors. These revealed that workers experienced precarity as a double-edged sword of time and income uncertainty shaped by the context in which they were embedded – namely their employment, their household and their relations with state welfare and care systems. These three domains shaped both the constraints they faced and the buffers and resources available to them as they managed these time and income uncertainties. A dynamic work–life articulation framework is developed that embeds the strategies workers deploy to mitigate uncertainty within these three domains and their intersections. These strategies may still only result in the least bad and often far from sustainable outcome due to changing contexts and trade-offs between time and income uncertainty." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Les Misérables? Labour Market Outcomes Among Artists in Europe (2026)
Zitatform
Laliotis, Ioannis & Christos A. Makridis (2026): Les Misérables? Labour Market Outcomes Among Artists in Europe. (CESifo working paper 12483), München, 60 S.
Abstract
"This paper documents the labour market position of artists across Europe and examines how it co-varies with public cultural spending. Using EU-LFS micro-data for 2009-2023, we compare artists to non-artists using harmonised measures of wage rank, employment, and non-standard work. Using within-country variation and controlling for demographic factors, artists rank substantially lower in the wage distribution: in the pooled sample, the estimated penalty is about 0.46 wage deciles relative to other salaried workers and about 0.28 deciles relative to other professionals. These earnings gaps coexist with higher exposure to non-standard employment, including part-time work, temporary contracts, and multiple job holding, with patterns that persist over the life cycle and appear in most countries. We then link individual outcomes to a country-year panel of real per capita public expenditure on cultural services. Higher cultural spending is associated with modest improvements in aggregate employment and lower part-time incidence, but these associations do not systematically differ for artists or arts graduates. The only consistent differential correlation is an increase in multiple job holding among arts graduates in higher-spending environments. Thus, changes in aggregate cultural spending are not sufficient on their own to narrow wage or job-quality gaps for artists, motivating a rethinking of cultural policy instruments toward mechanisms that more directly address labour market risks faced by cultural workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The Enshittification of Work: Platform Decay and Labour Conditions in the Gig Economy (2026)
Zitatform
Maffie, Michael David & Hector Hurtado (2026): The Enshittification of Work: Platform Decay and Labour Conditions in the Gig Economy. In: BJIR, Jg. 64, H. 1, S. 5-20. 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))
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Literaturhinweis
The Evolution of the Working Poor Phenomenon in Italy (2026)
Zitatform
Mussida, Chiara (2026): The Evolution of the Working Poor Phenomenon in Italy. In: Journal of Family and Economic Issues, S. 1-15. DOI:10.1007/s10834-026-10082-y
Abstract
"This study explores the phenomenon of in-work poverty in Italy using four waves of the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions survey (2007, 2013, 2019, and 2022). We adopt a pooled probit framework to identify individual, household, and labour market factors associated with the probability of being a member of the working poor category. We then use an Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition to assess whether changes over time were driven by shifts in observable characteristics or by changes in coefficients. Results show that higher education, home ownership, and larger household size reduce the risk of in-work poverty, while foreign citizenship, single-person households, and living in the south increase it. The decomposition suggests that the 2007–2013 subperiod, encompassing the Great Recession, experienced the sharpest rise in in-work poverty, mainly due to compositional changes, while structural factors partly mitigated this increase. The overall rise in in-work poverty in the long-term (2007–2022) largely reflects the adjustments that originated during and after the Great Recession, whereas the COVID-19 crisis caused limited further deterioration, suggesting that emergency policy responses may have contained the short-term impact. Policy efforts should therefore focus on supporting vulnerable workers and strengthening family and social protection systems, to enhance labour market resilience and reduce in-work poverty in Italy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
A “catalogue” for clients: domestic labour platforms, informality and (in)visibility (2026)
Zitatform
Pignolo, Loïc (2026): A “catalogue” for clients: domestic labour platforms, informality and (in)visibility. In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, Jg. 46, H. 5-6, S. 623-637. DOI:10.1108/ijssp-01-2025-0079
Abstract
"Purpose: Based on a study of digital platforms for domestic services in French-speaking Switzerland, this article seeks to analyse how the (in)visibility provided by platforms is perceived and made use of by employers and workers, with the aim of bringing to the fore the experiences of clients and comparing them with those of workers. Design/methodology/approach: The article is based on a study that combines interviews with employers, workers and managers (25 in total), along with an analysis of platform interfaces and documentation. For the purpose of this article, I particularly draw on interviews with employers and workers. Findings: My findings show that the (in)visibility created by platforms increases clients ’ agency to the point of creating a “catalogue effect”, enabling employers to find in the same organised place a variety of profiles and options from which to choose when purchasing domestic services or defining working arrangements. This organised place gathers and organises information in a way that encourages comparisons and the expression of preferences and bias on the part of clients, and, while accentuating the commodification of domestic services, forces workers to make an effort to raise their individual visibility. Moreover, most of these platforms reproduce informal economic exchanges while attenuating the negative effects of informality for employers and shifting most of the consequences of informality onto workers. While informality does create a feeling of insecurity in some cases for both employers and workers, it additionally heightens vulnerability for the latter, which extends from the first meeting to the actual employment relationship. Originality/value: The perspective of employers or clients using domestic-labour platforms is rarely investigated. By analysing how employers make use of and perceive domestic-labour platforms, and how these differ from workers’ experience, this article provides insights into the ways in which the different shades of (in)visibility are produced and maintained." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Emerald Group) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
‘Woeful Pay, But Still, I Enjoy It’: Refining Subjective Job Quality in Ride‐Share Work (2026)
Zitatform
Veen, Alex, Tom Barratt, Caleb Goods & Marian Baird (2026): ‘Woeful Pay, But Still, I Enjoy It’: Refining Subjective Job Quality in Ride‐Share Work. In: New Technology, Work and Employment, Jg. 41, H. 1, S. 15-26. DOI:10.1111/ntwe.70001
Abstract
"Workers who experience structural barriers in the labor market are overrepresented in the gig economy. There is limited research on how the broader context of labor markets and welfare systems shapes workers' motivations for, and subjective understandings of, ride-share work. Using established concepts of ‘constrained agency ’, ‘labor market objectives’ and ‘life stories’ from labor geography, this study develops a conceptual framework to advance subjective understandings of job quality. Drawing upon 59 interviews with workers from three distinct but overlapping disadvantaged groups (workers with disability, caring responsibilities and/or aged 45 and over), we focus on the experiences of and motivations for the work on a market-leading platform in Australia. Our findings highlight that subjective job quality perceptions are a complex mesh of individual circumstances and multi-layered social structures. Our framework helps to better understand why the work organisation and technology of the platform are valued by some yet loathed by others." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Skill development and employment pathways for adults with low skill levels (2026)
Zitatform
(2026): Skill development and employment pathways for adults with low skill levels. (CEDEFOP research paper / European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training), Luxembourg, 82 S. DOI:10.2801/4558680
Abstract
"The publication addresses the growing vulnerability of adults with low qualifications and skill levels within the EU labour market, in the context of the green and digital transitions, demographic ageing, and rising competitiveness pressures. As automation, digitalisation and structural shifts increase demand for higher-level skills, adults in low-skilled jobs face declining job opportunities, poorer working conditions and higher risks of unemployment and social exclusion. With nearly half of EU workers in low-skilled jobs and potentially in need of reskilling or upskilling, this issue is a key concern for policymakers, VET systems, employers, and social partners. It is also central to EU priorities such as the European Skills Agenda, the Digital Decade targets and inclusive growth objectives." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Parental precarious employment and the mental health of adolescents: a Swedish registry study (2025)
Aronsson, Amanda E.; Mangot-Sala, Lluís ; Hernando-Rodriguez, Julio C.; Badarin, Kathryn ; Alfayumi-Zeadna, Samira; Gunn, Virginia; Thern, Emelie ; Muntaner, Carles ; Kreshpaj, Bertina; Julià, Mireia ; Kvart, Signild ; Bodin, Theo ; Matilla-Santander, Nuria;Zitatform
Aronsson, Amanda E., Emelie Thern, Nuria Matilla-Santander, Signild Kvart, Julio C. Hernando-Rodriguez, Kathryn Badarin, Mireia Julià, Samira Alfayumi-Zeadna, Virginia Gunn, Bertina Kreshpaj, Carles Muntaner, Theo Bodin & Lluís Mangot-Sala (2025): Parental precarious employment and the mental health of adolescents: a Swedish registry study. In: Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health, Jg. 51, H. 2, S. 59-67. DOI:10.5271/sjweh.4210
Abstract
"This study investigates the association between parental precarious employment (PE) and the mental health of their adolescent children, with a particular focus on how the association differs based on whether the mother or father is in PE. This register-based study used the Swedish Work, Illness, and Labor-market Participation (SWIP) cohort. A sample of 117 437 children aged 16 years at baseline (2005) were followed up until 2009 (the year they turned 20). A multidimensional construct of PE (SWE-ROPE 2.0) was used to classify parental employment as either precarious, substandard or standard. The outcome, adolescents’ mental disorders, wasmeasured as a diagnosis of a mental disorder using ICD-10 codes or by prescribed psychotropic drugs using ATC codes. Crude and adjusted Cox regression models produced hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) to estimate the association between parental PE and adolescents’mental health. Adolescents with parents in PE exhibited a higher risk of developing mental disorders. The association was more pronounced for paternal PE (HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.10–1.35) compared to maternal PE (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.00–1.21). These associations largely persisted after adjusting for important confounders, including parental mental health. This study addresses a significant gap in the literature on parental PE and adolescents’ mental health. As PE is growing more common across countries, this study provides relevant insights into the intergenerational role that parental low-quality employment may have in terms of mental health within families." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Making low-wage work and family fit: perceptions and strategies among working families (2025)
Zitatform
Bruns, Angela, Hilary Wething & Heather D. Hill (2025): Making low-wage work and family fit: perceptions and strategies among working families. In: Community, work & family, S. 1-22. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2025.2505719
Abstract
"Workplaces have changed dramatically over the past 50 years. Jobs have become more precarious, particularly for workers at the bottom of the income and occupational distributions, and this shift has created new challenges for balancing work and family roles. Previous research suggests that precarious work can make it difficult for families to manage childcare and schedule family time, but questions remain about the subjective experiences and perspectives of workers in low-wage jobs juggling work and family responsibilities. Using a work-family fit and balance perspective, which emphasizes individuals’ subjective appraisals of the work-family interface, and data from three waves of in-depth interviews with 50 workers earning low-wages, we document the demands and resources (at work and at home) that are most salient as they make subjective appraisals of work-family fit and the strategies they use to reduce perceived misfit. Our results highlight workers’ agency amidst a series of constrained choices. Workers in our sample were exceptionally skilled at making precarity work for their families but not without considerable labor and additional sacrifices." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Precarious employment and gender-based violence against migrant women: A scoping review mapping the intersections (2025)
Chadambuka, Cyndirela ; Raghunauth, Rhea; Arora, Navya; Essue, Beverley M. ; Namyalo, Prossy Kiddu ; Kouyoumdjian, Fiona;Zitatform
Chadambuka, Cyndirela, Prossy Kiddu Namyalo, Rhea Raghunauth, Navya Arora, Fiona Kouyoumdjian & Beverley M. Essue (2025): Precarious employment and gender-based violence against migrant women. A scoping review mapping the intersections. In: PLoS ONE, Jg. 20, H. 12. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0337690
Abstract
"The risk of gender-based violence (GBV) against migrant women is largely exacerbated by precarious employment opportunities available to them as they go through the resettlement process. Despite the risk that the connection of precarious employment and GBV pose to migrant women’s health and wellbeing, critical gaps exist in literature. Our scoping review sought to identify and synthesize evidence on the interconnectedness of GBV and precarious employment among migrant women. Six electronic databases were searched for empirical literature and two reviewers independently conducted title/abstract and full text screening of studies that met the inclusion criteria. Data synthesis was guided by the intersectionality theory and the Feminist Political Economy framework. 50 articles met the criteria for inclusion in this review. Our findings reveal that precarious employment plays both a catalytic and consequential role in GBV. Findings highlighted how post-migration shifts in gender roles, schedule unpredictability leading to work-life imbalance, and debt bondage trap migrant women in cycles of exploitation and abuse. Few studies highlighted how human trafficking is intertwined with precarious labor markets, where the exploitation and abuse of migrant women mirror the characteristics of human trafficking. This review underscores the urgent need for integrated policy responses that are not only focused on individual supports but also address the structural drivers or labor precarity and protect migrant women from GBV and human trafficking. By applying an intersectional lens, policies and intervention programs can tackle systemic oppression across economic, and social systems essential in reducing exploitation and abuse to advance migrant women’s wellbeing." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Families, Welfare States and Resilience: Low-Resource Families Navigating Care, Employment and Welfare in Europe (2025)
Zitatform
Daly, Mary (Hrsg.) (2025): Families, Welfare States and Resilience. Low-Resource Families Navigating Care, Employment and Welfare in Europe. Boca Raton: Elgar, 213 S. DOI:10.4337/9781035346769
Abstract
"This pioneering book critically reviews and develops the concept of resilience in relation to family life. It examines the experiences of low-resourced families in Belgium, Croatia, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, assessing how they manage challenges such as low income and poor working conditions whilst also caring for children and others needing care. It considers the resources that are available to families, how they are utilised and the role and effectiveness of the welfare state system in supporting families with low resources." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Elgar) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Affective labour, blurred work–leisure boundaries, and intensity of exploitation in the hospitality sector (2025)
Zitatform
García-Catena, Diana, Anastasios Hadjisolomou & Dennis Nickson (2025): Affective labour, blurred work–leisure boundaries, and intensity of exploitation in the hospitality sector. In: The sociological review, S. 1-23. DOI:10.1177/00380261251391544
Abstract
"This article contributes to ongoing debates about the nature and boundaries of work in the post-Fordist economy. It examines the dynamic interplay between affective labour practices, workers’ subjectivity and exploitation. Drawing on 36 in-depth semi-structured interviews with front-of-house hospitality workers in Spain, it proposes a framework that distinguishes between different levels of affective labour, based on workers’ self-investment, and their perception of the boundaries between work and leisure. It argues that workers’ self-investment in customer service is closely linked to howthese boundaries are experienced, shaped and negotiated through affective labour practices. Such practices include having intimate conversations and sharing consumption experiences with customers outside of working hours and beyond the workplace. These practices are commonplace within Spain’s informal and non-standardised hospitality sector, blurring the boundaries between work and leisure while extending the scope of workers’ roles and productive time. While these practices contribute to the production of affective atmospheres and generate surplus value, they are not recognised or rewarded as labour as they are perceived as leisure activities. This results in subtle and often overlooked forms of exploitation. Our framework sheds light on how the boundaries of service are socially defined within the employee–employer–customer triad and how this relates to the intensity of exploitation in a service sector where the boundaries between work and non-work are unclear. Without clear boundaries, workers must negotiate how much of their personal qualities, abilities and spare time they are willing to invest." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Feeling disadvantaged? Type of employment contract and political attitudes (2025)
Zitatform
Gatskova, Kseniia, Michal Pilc & Maciej Beresewicz (2025): Feeling disadvantaged? Type of employment contract and political attitudes. In: Socio-economic review, Jg. 23, H. 2, S. 787-811., 2024-02-05. DOI:10.1093/ser/mwae011
Abstract
"We tested the theory of relative deprivation in the context of the Polish labour market during the post-crisis period from 2009 to 2015. This period witnessed the highest incidence of temporary contracts in the European Union, providing novel evidence on the causal relationship between the type of employment contract and political attitudes. Our findings suggest that temporary workers are more supportive of income redistribution but less supportive of democracy. Additionally, a shift from permanent to temporary contracts among prime-aged employees leads to a decrease in their support for democracy. Although this effect is modest in magnitude, the article points to an important mechanism influencing shifts in political attitudes. Our findings suggest that the effect of temporary employment on political attitudes is more pronounced among socio-demographic groups less accustomed to unstable employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Oxford Academic) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Prekäre Beschäftigung. Ein von der Migrationsforschung vernachlässigtes Thema? (2025)
Zitatform
Geisen, Thomas (2025): Prekäre Beschäftigung. Ein von der Migrationsforschung vernachlässigtes Thema? In: Migration und Soziale Arbeit, Jg. 47, H. 3, S. 179-185.
Abstract
"Der vorliegende Beitrag zeigt, dass sich Prekarität seit den 1990er Jahren zu einem zentralen gesellschaftstheoretischen Paradigma entwickelt hat. Prekäre Beschäftigung hat inzwischen unter dem Begriff der atypischen Beschäftigung auch Eingang in die Arbeitsmarktstatistik ge-funden. Mit Blick auf Migration zeigen die Daten aus der Schweiz und Deutschland, dass die Zahl der Ausländer*innen in atypischer Beschäftigung in beiden Ländern etwas höher liegt als bei den Schweizer*innen und bei den Deutschen, dass sie zugleich aber auch über Jahre hinweg einen konstant niedrigen Wert aufweisen. Es handelt sich bei prekärer Beschäftigung also nicht mehrheitlich um ein „Migrationsproblem", allerdings sind auch Migrant*innen in prekärer, atypischer Beschäftigung tätig. (…) Eine am Prekaritäts-paradigma orientierte Migrationsforschung ist bislang kaum ausreichend entwickelt, könnte aber sowohl im Zusammenhang mit der Analyse von Beschäftigungsverhältnissen als auch mit Blick auf Formen von Diskriminierung und Rassismus einen wichtigen Beitrag zu einer differenzierten, migrationsbezogenen Arbeitsmarktforschung leisten." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
The Activating Welfare State and Precarisation: a Temporal Analysis of the Perceived Unemployment Risk in Switzerland, 1999–2019 (2025)
Zitatform
Gibilisco, Saro, Monica Budowski & Andreas Hadjar (2025): The Activating Welfare State and Precarisation: a Temporal Analysis of the Perceived Unemployment Risk in Switzerland, 1999–2019. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 39, H. 6, S. 1513-1536. DOI:10.1177/09500170251361817
Abstract
"Existing research predominantly examines precarisation processes within the framework of the welfare state crisis. This study diverges from this conventional practice as it explores precarization in terms of a product of welfare state intervention. Specifically, the main argument is that welfare state interventions towards individual responsibility and activation centre on precarisation as a governance principle. Through a temporal examination of the perceived risk of unemployment – a key aspectof precarisation in the labour market – utilizing data from the Swiss Household Panel spanning 1999 to 2019, the study reveals a growing prevalence of the perceived risk of unemployment within the group of individuals in more privileged employment arrangements, notably stable and full-time contracts. Results suggest that precarisation is diffusing into segments of society considered secure and protected by the welfare state. This seems to be closely linked to the new activation mode of welfare state intervention." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The Expanding Domains of Degraded Work in the United States: Constructing a More Comprehensive Typology of Non-standard Employment Arrangements (2025)
Zitatform
Gonos, George (2025): The Expanding Domains of Degraded Work in the United States: Constructing a More Comprehensive Typology of Non-standard Employment Arrangements. In: Critical Sociology, Jg. 51, H. 7-8, S. 1383-1406. 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))
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Literaturhinweis
Space and Inequality in Precarious Work: Thinking With and Beyond Platforms (2025)
Zitatform
Griesbach, Kathleen (2025): Space and Inequality in Precarious Work: Thinking With and Beyond Platforms. In: Sociology Compass, Jg. 19, H. 3. DOI:10.1111/soc4.70026
Abstract
"Platform-based gig work illustrates a broader erosion of the spatial boundaries of work. While geographers have long theorized space as an integral part of capitalist work processes and social life, sociological research has often treated space as a backdrop for work processes rather than an active process shaping the social world, contemporary work, inequality, and resistance. However, important work in urban and rural sociology emphasizes the central role place plays in social life and inequality. This review synthesizes insights on space, place, and inequality and identifies key spatial continuities between platform labor and other forms of precarious work. I find common throughlines across disciplines: the intertwining of space, place, and social relations and the relevance of space and place for understanding inequality. Next, I relate spatial theories of capitalist development to contemporary precarious work. Finally, I suggest 3 promising avenues for incorporating space into research on contemporary work and inequality today: analyzing how existing inequalities intersect with the spatial features of new and enduring work structures; examining how contemporary work processes are reshaping rural and urban geographies; and identifying the spatial practices of contemporary organizing and resistance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Unemployment insurance and job polarization (2025)
Zitatform
Griffy, Benjamin, Adrian Masters & Kai You (2025): Unemployment insurance and job polarization. In: Labour Economics, Jg. 93. DOI:10.1016/j.labeco.2025.102690
Abstract
"This paper considers how the structure of the UI system interacts with the observed profile of separations to generate “job-polarization” – wage and separation rate persistence. We extend a standard on-the-job labor search model to include an initial period of high separation rates until the job stochastically becomes more stable. Meanwhile a worker’s UI entitlement varies in generosity (based on their former wage) and duration (based on their employment history). The separation structure means that some workers have extended periods of frequent job loss. The UI system amplifies these effects because workers with low benefit eligibility apply for low wage jobs. Their subsequent applications then leave them more highly susceptible to future job loss. Our calibration suggests that this effect accounts for around 1% lower lifetime average wages." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Dependence and Precarity in the Gig Economy: A Longitudinal Analysis of Platform Work and Mental Distress (2025)
Zitatform
Guo, Ya, Sizhan Cui, Zhuofei Lu & Senhu Wang (2025): Dependence and Precarity in the Gig Economy: A Longitudinal Analysis of Platform Work and Mental Distress. In: The British journal of sociology, Jg. 76, H. 5, S. 1169-1187. DOI:10.1111/1468-4446.70028
Abstract
"While there is a growing body of literature examining platform dependence and its implications for mental health, much of the research has focused on gig workers with small sample sizes. The lack of large-scale quantitative research, particularly using longitudinal representative data, limits a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic relationship between platform dependence and mental distress. This study uses nationally representative data from the UK and fixed effects models to explore the heterogeneity of gig work, specifically examining differences in mental distress between high-dependence workers (those solely engaged in gig work) and low-dependence workers (those also employed in other jobs). The findings reveal that high-dependence gig workers have greater mental distress compared to low-dependence and full-time workers, with their mental well-being similar to those with no paid work. Low-dependence gig workers have lower mental distress than those without paid work. Financial precarity and loneliness partly explain these differences, with the impact stronger for highly educated high-dependence workers and less educated low-dependence workers. These findings highlight the significance of recognizing the heterogeneity of gig work in addressing future well-being challenges in a post-pandemic economy, as well as broadening the scope of the latent deprivation model to encompass the unique dynamics of gig work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))