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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Giuliani, Giovanni Amerigo & Rebecca Paraciani (2025): Contextualizing inequalities in the gig economy: evidence from online cleaning platforms in five European cities. In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, S. 1-20. 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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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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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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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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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))

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Healy, Joshua & Andreas Pekarek (2025): The triangular relationship in platform gig work: Consumers, platform beneficence and worker vulnerability. In: New Technology, Work and Employment, Jg. 40, H. 2, S. 265-284. DOI:10.1111/ntwe.12310

Abstract

"Platform gig work is created and contested in dynamic, triangular relationships between platforms, workers, and consumers. Compared with the first two groups, however, evidence about the role of the third - consumers - is sparse. In this paper, we investigate consumers' changing perceptions of work in the platform gig economy and argue that their perspective warrants greater attention in sociological analyses. Using data from two Australian public opinion surveys conducted 5 years apart (2017 and 2022), we explore how consumers' views of platform gig work evolved during a period of rapid change that includes the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that while overall platform use increased markedly, many consumers felt conflicted about gig workers' conditions and key features of platforms' typical labour practices. There is a pronounced, enduring, and consequential tension in consumers' views of the merits and drawbacks of this work; between, on the one hand, an acceptance that platforms do benefit workers to some extent and, on the other hand, misgivings about workers' vulnerability to harm. In centring consumers, our paper empirically enriches current triangular conceptions of labour relations in the platform gig economy, by showing how consumers mediate the interests of platforms and workers, to shape how gig work manifests and who benefits from it. We also contribute useful new practical knowledge, by elucidating the prevailing concerns of consumers that could be developed into resonant themes for campaigns aimed at improving platform gig workers' rights." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Herman, Eva, Gail Hebson & Jill Rubery (2025): From Precarious Work to Precarious Lives: Managing and Navigating Uncertainty at the Intersections of Employment, Households and the State. In: Work, Employment and Society. 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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Iglesias-Rios, Lisbeth, Kexin Li, Alexis J. Handal & Lu Wang (2025): Precarious work and chronic disease: lessons learned from the US national agricultural worker survey (1999–2020). In: Frontiers in Public Health, Jg. 13. DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1651197

Abstract

"Background: Precarious employment and labor exploitation in farmworkers is historical and pervasive in the United States. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from the National Agricultural Worker Survey (1999–2020, NAWS) among 46,910 farmworkers. A multidimensional precarious employment score (PES) was developed using work indicators and cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Analysis included: (1) Poisson regression model with LASSO for key predictor selection across three health outcomes; (2) PES construction to track employment conditions over time; and (3) subgroups analyses to assess disparities and trends in employment precarity. Results: Women showed no reduction in PES over time. Indigenous farmworkers [mean (M ) = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.50 to 0.53; difference from reference (δ M ) = 0.07, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.08] and those working with labor contractors (M = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.52; δ M = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.07) showed a consistently higher PES, but their declines [Indigenous: change (Δ M ) = −0.05, 95% CI: −0.09 to 0; labor contractors: Δ M = −0.08, 95% CI: −0.12 to −0.05) were smaller. Conclusions: Within this precarious workforce there were differences in PES and chronic disease. Biosocial data is needed to better understand the pathways of how precarious employment impacts the health of this workforce." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Klaus, Dominik, Maddalena Lamura, Marcel Bilger & Barbara Haas (2025): Support and employment preferences in online platform work. A cluster analysis of German-speaking workers. In: International Journal of Social Welfare, Jg. 34, H. 1, S. e12659. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12659

Abstract

"Online platform work is an emerging field of non-standard employment. Up to now, there has been little knowledge of the perspective of online platform workers on social protection and regulation. We provide quantitative data (n = 1727) on their needs for support and on their employment status preferences. Given the heterogeneity of German-speaking online platform workers, we have conducted a cluster analysis to group workers according to task length, hourly wage, working hours and experience on online platforms. Most of the respondents are solo-self-employed and hybrid workers. They prefer support instruments that improve their skills and income over those that aim to strengthen their rights. The majority of platform workers are in favour of working outside of platforms. The study also shows that despite the low dependence on platform income, the actual poverty risk is relatively high." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Maestripieri, Lara, Alba Lanau, Roger Soler‐i‐Martí & Míriam Acebillo‐Baqué (2025): Intertwined precariousness and precarity: Disentangling a phenomenon that characterises Spanish youth. In: International Journal of Social Welfare, Jg. 34, H. 1, S. e12709. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12709

Abstract

"The growth of non-standard employment has emerged as a crucial factor that contributes to delays and difficulties in young people's transitions to adulthood. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of multidimensional measures of precariousness. This paper aims to investigate the phenomenon of precariousness holistically, using an original database of respondents in Spain from 20 to 34 years of age. Using a mixed-methods approach, we explore young people's understandings of precariousness and examine its key determinants and consequences. The findings illustrate the multidimensional nature of feelings of precariousness, with economic insecurity and work conditions being core elements. Our results point to precarity stemming from a combination of inextricably intertwined objective and subjective components, as well as work and economic dimensions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Molitor, Friederike (2025): Work arrangements in digitally mediated care and domestic work. In: Community, work & family, S. 1-20. DOI:10.1080/13668803.2025.2523863

Abstract

"As the need for care has grown, paid care and domestic work in the private home is increasingly being organized on the market. Today, digital platforms serve as intermediaries for care and domestic services but systematic research on the resulting work arrangements between workers and clients remains limited. By understanding platform-mediated care and domestic work arrangements as a (social) exchange of ‘love and money’ between workers and clients, the study explores the working conditions and the worker-client relationships that emerge. Drawing on unique survey data collected on a large digital platform in Germany in 2019, the study shows that care and domestic workers who offer their services on digital platforms often experience informal work arrangements characterized by low working hours and irregular shifts. The worker-client relationships are described as amicable more than professional. They are often built on continuity, long-termism and reliability, which are essential for a lasting relationship. This challenges the on-demand, economic logic characterising other forms of platform work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pacitti, Aaron, Michael Cauvel & Makala Greene (2025): Why are there so many bad jobs? The role of bargaining power and structural change. In: Competition and Change, S. 1-19. DOI:10.1177/10245294251371760

Abstract

"Since 1979, the share of good jobs in the U.S. economy decreased from 32% to 26%. We argue this has been caused by structural changes—declining union membership and institutional changes in labor markets; deindustrialization; globalization; automation; financialization; and rising market concentration and monopsony power in labor markets—that have depressed workers’ bargaining power, as measured by the cost of job loss. We define a quality job as one that pays above the real median wage for men in 1979, and provides employer-sponsored health insurance and pension benefits. Using Census Bureau data, we observe a decline in job quality across our 1979–2022 sample period. Our regression analysis suggests that changes in workers bargaining power and labor market policy, proxied by the real minimum wage, explain this dynamic." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Pignolo, Loïc (2025): A “catalogue” for clients: domestic labour platforms, informality and (in)visibility. In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, S. 1-15. 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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Vanderleyden, Julie & Deborah De Moortel (2025): Employment Quality as a Framework to Understand Precarious Employment and Beyond in Cross‐National Contexts: Conceptual, Methodological, and Practical Recommendations. In: Sociology Compass, Jg. 19, H. 7. DOI:10.1111/soc4.70083

Abstract

"Precarious employment is a growing global concern. However, what constitutes or is perceived as precarious employment varies significantly across regions, particularly between the Global North and Global South. We propose the multidimensional Employment Quality (EQ) framework as a heuristic tool to explore the variety in EQ patterns from a cross-national comparative perspective. This framework, which incorporates a typological analytical approach, enables the exploration of diverse patterns and combinations of (in)secure employment features across the workforce. By doing so the full range of employment arrangements is captured, from highly secure to precarious, while also accounting for “mixed” forms. Yet, comparing the prevalence and forms of EQ globally presents significant conceptual, methodological, and data-related considerations, given the vast differences in employment and labor market features worldwide. Additionally, we provide practical tools for addressing the various considerations, with the aim of advancing EQ research for comparative purposes across diverse contexts. A comprehensive understanding of EQ configurations emerging across different contexts and their differential impacts on specific worker groups offers critical insights for informing labor market policies and strategies aimed at promoting more secure and equitable forms of employment in both the Global North and Global South." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Veen, Alex, Tom Barratt, Caleb Goods & Marian Baird (2025): ‘Woeful Pay, But Still, I Enjoy It’: Refining Subjective Job Quality in Ride‐Share Work. In: New Technology, Work and Employment, S. 1-12. 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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Wolff, Joachim (2025): Bedarf es schärferer Leistungsminderungen beim Bürgergeld? (Serie "Bürgergeld"). In: IAB-Forum H. 10.03.2025, 2025-03-10. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20250310.01

Abstract

"Die Sanktionen im Bürgergeld sind viel zu stark abgemildert worden, ist in der öffentlichen Debatte immer wieder zu hören. Forschungsergebnisse zeigen: Sanktionen wirken, sind aber kein Allheilmittel. Und sie haben auch nicht intendierte Wirkungen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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de Oliveira, Claire, Margaret Jamieson & Sara Bonato (2025): Mental health as a determinant of work: a scoping review on the impact of mental health on precarious employment. In: Health Policy, Jg. 161. DOI:10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105395

Abstract

"Background: While many studies have examined the impact of precarious employment on mental health, the reverse relationship has received less attention. Objectives: The objectives of this scoping review were to ascertain the existing literature examining the impact of mental health on precarious employment and to describe, synthesize, and critically appraise it. Methods: Business Source Premier, EconLit, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched from 1 January 1980 to 30 August 2024. Additionally, searches were undertaken in Google and specific websites; references of key papers were also examined. Relevant data were extracted from studies, and their quality was assessed, namely whether they accounted for endogeneity. Evidence was synthesized by mental disorder/illness/problem using a narrative synthesis approach. Results: After duplicates were removed, the search yielded 10,048 unique records; ultimately, 19 relevant papers, corresponding to 20 unique studies, were deemed relevant. Few specifically focused on mental health as a determinant of precarious employment and/or recognised the potential presence of endogeneity. Studies found mixed evidence on the relationship between mental health and precarious employment. While the evidence suggests that psychological distress and mental health complaints likely increase the probability of precarious employment, anxiety and emotional exhaustion likely do not. The evidence on depressive disorders is mixed/inconclusive. Conclusion: Some of the existing literature suggests that people with poor mental health may be at a higher risk of precarious employment; however, in some instances, the evidence was either mixed/inconclusive or absent. More high-quality studies are needed to inform clear policy recommendations." (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))

Abstract

"Instead of flexi-work and increased labor participation for women, the platform economy has deepened intersectional inequalities—of gender, class, geography, and race—making women workers more vulnerable. At the Beijing+30 conjuncture, we urgently need multi-scalar policy responses that can get our institutions ready for a feminist future of work. To explore the building blocks of this imperative, IT for Change, DAWN, and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) convened a series of four consultations in the Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe, and Latin America in February 2025, bringing together 50+ feminist scholars, practitioners, gender equality experts, lawyers focused on labor rights, and trade union representatives." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Altenried, Moritz (2024): Mobile workers, contingent labour: Migration, the gig economy and the multiplication of labour. In: Environment and planning. A, Economy and space, Jg. 56, H. 4, S. 1113-1128. DOI:10.1177/0308518X211054846

Abstract

"The article takes the surprising exit of the food delivery platform Deliveroo from Berlin as a starting point to analyse the relationship between migration and the gig economy. In Berlin and many cities across the globe, migrant workers are indispensable to the operations of digital platforms such as Uber, Helpling, or Deliveroo. The article uses in-depth ethnographic and qualitative research to show how the latter's exit from Berlin provides an almost exemplary picture of why urban gig economy platforms are strongholds of migrant labour, while at the same time, demonstrating the very contingency of this form of work. The article analyses the specific reasons why digital platforms are particularly open to migrants and argues that the very combination of new forms of algorithmic management and hyper-flexible forms of employment that is characteristic of gig economy platforms is also the reason why these platforms are geared perfectly toward the exploitation of migrant labour. This allows the analysis of digital platforms in the context of stratified labour markets and situates them within a long history of contingent labour that is closely intertwined with the mobility of labour." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2021 a Pion publication) ((en))

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Böhme, René (2024): Arbeitsausbeutung im Reinigungsgewerbe. Problemlagen, Hilfestrukturen, Handlungsmöglichkeiten. (Working paper Forschungsförderung / Hans Böckler Stiftung 333), Düsseldorf, 89 S.

Abstract

"Arbeitsausbeutung ist in Deutschland alltägliche Praxis. Zahlreiche Hürden führen dazu, dass es in den seltensten Fällen zur Strafverfolgung der Täter:innen kommt - das macht Ausbeutung zu einem lukrativen Geschäftsmodell. Um dem entgegenzuwirken, sind Bund, Länder und Kommunen aufgefordert, eine Gesamtstrategie zur Bekämpfung von Arbeitsausbeutung zu entwickeln. Diese sollte Erleichterungen bei der Strafverfolgung, quantitative und qualitative Verbesserungen der Kontrollmechanismen sowie eine Stärkung des Hilfesystems umfassen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Depperschmidt, Rina, Heleen Matton, Hans Pongratz & Pia Probst (2024): Plattformnutzung durch Solo-Selbstständige. Explorative Befunde und forschungsstrategische Perspektiven. In: Arbeit. Zeitschrift für Arbeitsforschung, Arbeitsgestaltung und Arbeitspolitik, Jg. 33, H. 1-2, S. 3-27. DOI:10.1515/arbeit-2024-0002

Abstract

"Plattformarbeit ist für Solo-Selbstständige zu einem wichtigen Erwerbszugang geworden. Dieser Zusammenhang wurde noch wenig untersucht, obwohl der Forschungsstand für beide Erwerbsformen ähnliche Bedingungen ausweist. Mittels einer qualitativen Befragung haben wir die Plattformerfahrungen von 20 Solo-Selbstständigen aus drei Berufsfeldern in vergleichender Perspektive analysiert: Yoga-Lehrer*innen, Sprachlehrer*innen und Creator*innen von Inhalten für die sozialen Medien. Trotz verschiedener Formen der Nutzung von Plattformdiensten sind die Resultate ähnlich: Für kleinere Zusatzeinnahmen ist beträchtlicher Aufwand erforderlich, aber Tools und Informationsangebote der Plattformen machen Arbeitserleichterungen möglich. Die Solo-Selbstständigen erleben viele der aus der Plattformforschung bekannten Abhängigkeiten und verschärften Konkurrenzbedingungen auf Online-Märkten. Nur für wenige Creator*innen führt Plattformarbeit aus einer prekären Selbstständigkeit heraus. Der Beitrag plädiert dafür, die beiden Forschungsfelder stärker zu verbinden und mit institutionellen Absicherungen des solo-selbstständigen Erwerbs auch die Bedingungen von Plattformarbeit zu verbessern." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © De Gruyter)

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Gray, B.J., M.L. Griffiths, R.G. Kyle, K.R. Isherwood, C. Humphreys & A.R. Davies (2024): Precarious employment and associations with socio-demographic characteristics and self-reported health in Wales, UK. In: Public health, Jg. 236, S. 452-458. DOI:10.1016/j.puhe.2024.08.015

Abstract

"Objectives: The study's aim was to explore the prevalence of precarious employment (PE) in Wales prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and examine associations with PE domains across socio-demographics and self-reported health. Study design: A cross-sectional design was used to explore the prevalence of PE in Wales prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, in February 2020. Methods: Data were collected from a national household survey carried out in May/June 2020, with a sample of 1032 residents in Wales. PE was determined using the Employment Precariousness Scale. Associations between experiencing PE and socio-demographic/health characteristics were examined using Chi-squared tests and logistic regression models (multinomial and binary). Results: Overall, before the pandemic, one in four respondents (26.5%) was in PE, with the most prevalent domains, wages, and disempowerment being experienced by at least 50% of respondents. Worse perceived treatment at work was twice as likely in those reporting pre-existing conditions (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.45 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.33–4.49]), poorer general health (aOR: 2.33 95% CI: [1.22–4.47]), or low mental wellbeing (aOR: 2.81 95% CI: [1.34–5.88]). Those with high wage precariousness were three times more likely to report low mental wellbeing (aOR 3.12 95% CI [1.54–6.32]). Conclusions: The creation and Provision of secure, adequately paid job opportunities has the potential to reduce the prevalence of PE in Wales. Targeting such employment opportunities to those people currently unwell would have better population health gains." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hayes, L.J.B. & Naomi Maynard (2024): ‘Workers using foodbanks’: the embedding of food insecurity at the nexus of welfare and employment laws. In: The Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, Jg. 32, H. 3, S. 318-342. DOI:10.1332/17598273y2024d000000026

Abstract

"In this first UK study of ‘Workers using foodbanks’, 65 per cent of research participants, including 76 per cent of those of working age, identified poor-quality employment as the root cause of their food insecurity. This primary problem of the deficient quality of jobs was characterized by insecure work, low wages, and excessive mental stress. Data revealed an environment in which workers are required to claim benefits because available employment cannot sustain their needs. A contemporary generation of ‘in-and-out-of-work[ers]’ are food insecure because of a secondary problem of inadequate welfare support. Post-pandemic welfare laws are interacting with ineffective employment rights protection to scaffold a low-wage labour market in which jobs are stripped of qualities that meet workers ’ basic needs. There is an urgent need to respond to the UKs record high incidence of food insecurity by improving the quality of available employment so that all jobs deliver adequate income, security of working arrangements, and support for good mental and physical health. ‘Workers using foodbanks’ is an aphorism that captures a contemporary reality in which the risk of food insecurity is embedded in contractual arrangements for work that are forged at the nexus of welfare and employment laws." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2024 Policy Press) ((en))

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Hüttenhoff, Frederic & Karen Jaehrling (2024): Werkverträge – wachsende Parallelwelt in transnationalen Arbeitsmärkten. (IAQ-Report 2024-04), Duisburg ; Essen, 19 S. DOI:10.17185/duepublico/81838

Abstract

"In manchen Branchen wie dem Baugewerbe und Schiffbau haben Werkverträge zugenommen und einen Funktionswandel durchlaufen. Dort zeichnet sich ein Produktionsmodell ab, das mittels Subunternehmen und unter Rückgriff auf internationale Arbeitsmärkte Firmenstrukturen verschleiert und die Feststellung der verantwortlichen Arbeitgeber erschwert. Diese Intransparenz hat eine erhebliche Prekarisierung der Arbeits- und Lebensbedingungen der betroffenen, in der Regel migrantischen Arbeitskräfte zur Folge. Um dem zu begegnen, haben Gewerkschaften, Betriebsräte und Beratungsorganisationen begonnen, sich transnationaler auszurichten. Insbesondere vertrauensbildende Maßnahmen sind ein wichtiger Bestandteil der neuen Strategien. Nicht alle Probleme können durch eine Rechtsmobilisierung „von unten“ und kollektive Verhandlungen der Sozialpartner gelöst werden. Die Durchsetzung von equal pay und equal treatment bleibt eine staatliche Kernaufgabe." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Jankowski, Krzysztof Z. (2024): Positioning precarity: The contingent nature of precarious work in structure and practice. In: The British journal of sociology, Jg. 75, H. 5, S. 715-730. DOI:10.1111/1468-4446.13125

Abstract

"Conceptualizing precarity has come to rest on the multi-dimensional and differentiated insecurities of job and worker, this however belies the relationship between structure and experience where precarity originates. To bridge that relationship, I employ the landscape concept to position workers relative to the structural contingency of precarious work. To study this landscape, I conducted an ethnography involving job searching, working, and interviewing workers. While certainly insecure, these jobs displayed parallel characteristics of streamlined hiring and short-notice starts which workers took advantage of. I explore three ideal-typical ‘jobs’—the first, only, and best job—to examine how vulnerability is balanced with contingency to produce precarity. This analysis and the landscape approach locate the political-economic transformation of work in the context of workers' lives and their labor market position. Taking precarious work is an act of balancing one's vulnerabilities in a way that constructs and thus naturalizes precarity. Overall, the article contributes an image of an economy where workers have to be opportunistic in a continual struggle for work while stratified by their personal circumstances and position in this labor market." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Jones, Katy, Sharon Wright & Lisa Scullion (2024): The Impact of Welfare Conditionality on Experiences of Job Quality. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 38, H. 6, S. 1658-1679. DOI:10.1177/09500170231219677

Abstract

"This article contributes to emerging debates about how behavioural conditionality within welfare systems influences job quality. Drawing upon analysis of unique data from three waves of qualitative longitudinal interviews with 46 UK social security recipients (133 interviews), we establish that the impact of welfare conditionality is so substantial that it is no longer adequate to discuss job quality without reference to its interconnections to the welfare system. More specifically, we identify how conditionality drives welfare recipients’ experience of four core dimensions of jobquality: disempowering and propelling claimants towards inadequate pay, insecurity and poor employment terms, undermining multiple intrinsic characteristics of work and creating what we term a new ‘Work–Life–Welfare balance’. Instead of acting as a neutral arbitrator between jobseekers and employers, the welfare system is exposed as complicit in reinforcing one-sided flexibility through one-sided conditionality, by emphasising intensive job-seeking, while leaving poor-quality work provided by employers unchecked." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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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))

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Orth, Barbara (2024): Stratified pathways into platform work: Migration trajectories and skills in Berlin's gig economy. In: Environment and planning. A, Economy and space, Jg. 56, H. 2, S. 476-490. DOI:10.1177/0308518X231191933

Abstract

"Platform labour scholars have noted the prevalence of migrant workers in the gig economy. This paper builds on this research but interrogates the broad concept of 'migrant labour'. The study draws on biographical interviews with platform workers in grocery delivery and domestic work platforms in Berlin, Germany as well as expert interviews with union representatives, migrant organisations and white-collar platform company employees. Through an examination of the mobility strategies of platform workers in this subset of the platform economy, the study reveals a stratification of migrant trajectories and of skills needed to engage in platform work across different types of labour platforms. The study finds that platform companies draw on a workforce that consists of recently arrived young migrants with comparatively high education, language skills and digital literacy. Through close analysis of an understudied section of the gig economy, the paper contributes to the ongoing theorisation of the nexus of migration regimes and platform-mediated labour regimes. The findings complicate the notion of 'accessibility' of platform work and call for the inclusion of visa regimes, immigration categories and particular skill sets in future research on platform labour." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 a Pion publication) ((en))

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PAUL, Anju Mary (2024): Unpacking cross‐country variations in domestic worker protection regimes: Adopting a policy regime perspective. In: International Labour Review, Jg. 163, H. 3, S. 377-396. DOI:10.1111/ilr.12432

Abstract

"Domestic workers are some of the most vulnerable and least protected workers in the world. However, there is significant variation in domestic worker protections across countries. Using a policy regime perspective, I unpack how differing ideas, institutional arrangements and interest groups inform differences in the degree of legal protections that a country provides domestic workers. I posit that only if all three of these building blocks are present and supportive will a country institute a strong domestic worker protection regime. I apply this model to explain the incomplete/weak domestic worker protection regimes in Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa and Sweden." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Però, Davide & John Downey (2024): Advancing Workers' Rights in the Gig Economy through Discursive Power: The Communicative Strategies of Indie Unions. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 38, H. 1, S. 140-160. DOI:10.1177/09500170221103160

Abstract

"Finding limited representation in established unions, a growing number of precarious and migrant workers of the gig economy have been turning to self-organization. Yet little is known about how these workers can compensate for their lack of material resources and institutional support and negotiate effectively with employers. Drawing on interviews, frame, and content analysis grounded in ethnographic research with the precarious and migrant workers of British ‘indie’ unions, we examine the significance of self-mediation practices in facilitating effective negotiations. We find that the effectiveness of campaigns can be enhanced by strategically integrating vibrant direct action of workers and allies with self-mediated messages, which are framed to resonate with the general public and mainstream media – a practice that we call communicative unionism. These findings extend labour movement scholarship by showing the analytical importance of considering workers’ discursive power-building practices. They also contribute to addressing social movement studies’ historical neglect of workers’ collective engagements with employers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Tarrabain, Chloe & Robyn Thomas (2024): The Dynamics of Control of Migrant Agency Workers: Over-Recruitment, 'The Bitchlist' and the Enterprising-Self. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 38, H. 1, S. 27-43. DOI:10.1177/09500170221100934

Abstract

"This article explores migrant workers’ experiences of organisational control while undertaking temporary agency work. This study is based on a ‘covert’ ethnographic study set at a temporary employment agency that short-term contracts workers to the catering and hospitality industry. The findings show how control is perceived by workers to emerge from the over-recruitment, coupled with the allocation of work through an informal ranking system. Migrant workers’ specific socio-economic circumstances and their race and gender identities informed their responses to these systems, resulting in the buy-in to discourses of enterprise. The result was actors who are complicit, if not active, participants in self and peer regulation. As such, this article contributes to the literature on enterprising-selves, control of temporary agency workers and the wider manufacturing consent literature." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Wimmer, Christopher (2024): Die Marginalisierten. (Über-) Leben zwischen Mangel und Notwendigkeit. Weinheim: Juventa Verlag, 302 S.

Abstract

"Christopher Wimmer blickt nach »ganz unten«. Seine These trifft den Kern der deutschen Gegenwart: Ein - wenn nicht sogar das zentrale - Ergebnis kapitalistischer Vergesellschaftung besteht in der Marginalisierung von Menschen in sozialen, politischen und kulturellen Zusammenhängen. Wimmer zeigt, wie sich Marginalisierung konkret auswirkt. Er beschäftigt sich mit der Sozialisation der Marginalisierten und stellt daraufhin ihre Arbeitssituation, ihr Alltagsleben und ihre sozialen Beziehungen ins Zentrum. Überall dort zeigen sich Auswirkungen ihrer sozialen Position. Doch auch das Bewusstsein der Marginalisierten ist von ihrer Lage beeinflusst. All dies hat Folgen für eine Politik, die sich mit sozialer Marginalisierung auseinandersetzen will." (Verlagsangaben, IAB-Doku)

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Alderotti, Giammarco, Eleonora Mussino & Chiara Ludovica Comolli (2023): Natives' and migrants' employment uncertainty and childbearing during the great recession. A comparison between Italy and Sweden. In: European Societies, Jg. 25, H. 4, S. 539-573. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2022.2153302

Abstract

"This study contributes to the empirical research on the fertility decline registered in Europe in the aftermath of the Great Recession adopting a comparative perspective. We explore childbearing behavior during the crisis across three dimensions of vulnerability: migration background (measured as: country of origin and length of stay in the destination country), labor market uncertainty, and country of residence. We compare childbearing behavior by parity among native and migrant women with different employment statuses in Sweden and Italy. Using the Swedish population registers and the Italian Labor Force Survey, we investigate the change in childbearing probabilities between the pre-crisis (2006?2009) and the years following the onset of the crisis (2010?2015). We find that the chances of motherhood in the aftermath of the Great Recession decreased substantially among recently arrived migrant women, but also among unemployed natives and women with unstable careers. The migration and labor market vulnerabilities, however, do not accumulate: unemployment and career instability negatively affect only native women?s probability of motherhood. Finally, the country comparison demonstrates that while the duration of stay and the weaker labor market attachment reduces the chances of motherhood in both contexts, the negative effect of unemployment is particularly strong in Italy." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Burr, Hermann (2023): Prekäre Beschäftigung und depressive Symptomatik – geschlechtsabhängige Assoziationen. In: Arbeitsmedizin, Sozialmedizin, Umweltmedizin, Jg. 58, H. 5, S. 318-326. DOI:10.17147/asu-1-273034

Abstract

"Einleitung: Längsschnittstudien deuten darauf hin, dass das Risiko für die Entwicklung einer depressiven Symptomatik bei prekärer Beschäftigung bei Männern höher ist als bei Frauen. Eine südkoreanische Studie lässt vermuten, dass die Position im Haushalt diesen Unterschied erklären könnte. Es stellt sich die Frage, ob diese Risikounterschiede durch die Position im Haushalt (d.h. alleinlebend ohne Partnerin/Partner oder zusammenlebend mit Partnerin/Partner) erklärt werden können. Methoden: Die Analyse basiert auf einer Kohorte von 2009 Beschäftigten der „Studie Mentale Gesundheit bei der Arbeit“ (S-MGA) (Rose et al. 2017). Hierbei wurden fünf Indikatoren prekärer Beschäftigung verwendet: subjektive Arbeitsplatzunsicherheit, geringfügige Beschäftigung, zeitlich befristete Beschäftigung, Niedriglohn (Nettostundenlohn < 60 % des Medians) und Episoden von Arbeitslosigkeit in der Vergangenheit – ebenfalls zusammengefasst in einem Index prekärer Beschäftigung. Mögliche Assoziationen zwischen prekärer Beschäftigung im Zeitraum 2012–2017 und einer depressiven Symptomatik im Jahr 2017 wurden durch logistische Regressionsanalysen untersucht – stratifiziert nach Geschlecht und Haushaltsstatus (d. h. alleinlebend ohne Partnerin/Partner oder zusammenlebend mit Partnerin/Partner) im Jahr 2012 und adjustiert für depressive Symptomatik, Alter, beruflichen Status und Partnerschaftsstatus im Jahr 2012. Ergebnisse: Der Haushaltsstatus zeigte keine signifikanten Interaktionen mit den Indikatoren einer prekären Beschäftigung bzw. dem Index prekärer Beschäftigung, weder bei Frauen noch bei Männern. Schlussfolgerung: Es ist immer noch ungeklärt, warum in vielen Studien die Risiken von prekärer Beschäftigung für die Entwicklung einer depressiven Symptomatik bei Männern höher sind als bei Frauen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Doorn, Niels van, Fabian Ferrari & Mark Graham (2023): Migration and Migrant Labour in the Gig Economy: An Intervention. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 37, H. 4, S. 1099-1111. DOI:10.1177/09500170221096581

Abstract

"In urban gig economies around the world, platform labour is predominantly migrant labour, yet research on the intersection of the gig economy and labour migration remains scant. Our experience with two action research projects, spanning six cities on four continents, has taught us how platform work impacts the structural vulnerability of migrant workers. This leads us to two claims that should recalibrate the gig economy research agenda. First, we argue that platform labour simultaneously degrades working conditions while offering migrants much-needed opportunities to improve their livelihoods. Second, we contend that the reclassification of gig workers as employees is by itself not sufficient to counter the precarisation of migrant gig work. Instead, we need ambitious policies at the intersection of immigration, social welfare, and employment regulation that push back against the digitally mediated commodification of migrant labour worldwide." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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García-Pérez, Carmelo, Mercedes Prieto, Jorge Seva, Hipólito Simón & Raquel Simón-Albert (2023): A multidimensional operationalization of precarious employment with a counting approach: evidence from Spain. In: Applied Economics, Jg. 55, H. 5, S. 546-561. DOI:10.1080/00036846.2022.2091744

Abstract

"The article proposes a novel multidimensional operationalization of precarious employment using the Alkire-Foster dual threshold counting approach methodology. The proposal is made in a context in which, although precarious employment tends to be considered a multidimensional construct characterized by an accumulation of unfavourable features of employment quality, there is neither a standard and generally accepted definition nor operationalization of the phenomenon in the literature. The proposed methodology has the advantages that it can be easily applied to the usual content of most labour surveys, and that it allows an analysis of both the scale and the nature of precariousness. The illustrative evidence obtained for Spain reveals both a high incidence of multidimensional precariousness (affecting almost 40% of wage earners) and a high intensity (multidimensional precarious wage earners suffer from around 3 job deprivations). Moreover, it shows that employment precariousness is highly persistent over time and tends to grow over time and that there is great heterogeneity in the scope of the phenomenon according to its individual incidence and among different groups of workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Hopp, Marvin, Ann-Kathrin Hoffmann, Aaron Zielke, Lukas Leslie & Martin Seeliger (2023): Jung, akademisch, prekär. Studentische Beschäftigte an Hochschulen und Forschungseinrichtungen : eine Ausnahme vom dualen System regulierter Arbeitsbeziehungen. Bremen, 178 S.

Abstract

"Das Forschungsprojekt „Jung, akademisch, prekär?“ wird vom Institut für Arbeit und Wirtschaft in Kooperation mit ver.di und GEW durchgeführt. Gegenstand des Projektes ist eine bundesweite Beschäftigtenbefragung. Insgesamt wurden im Zeitraum vom 30. Januar 2022 bis zum 22. Juli 2022 11.107 studentische/wissenschaftliche Hilfskräfte und Tutor*innen zu ihren Beschäftigungsverhältnissen und Arbeitsbedingungen befragt. Die Studie ist damit die bisher umfassendste Erhebung im Feld. Untersucht wurden unter anderem die Auswirkungen geringer Regulierung. So arbeiten die jungen Studierenden (mit Ausnahme Berlins) in einem nicht tariflich abgesicherten Bereich, sind in den meisten Bundesländern entweder unmittelbar oder mittelbar von den Personalvertretungsgesetzen der Länder ausgenommen und unterliegen Sonderregelungen, die auf Basis des Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetzes im Zeitraum von 6 Jahren freie Hand bei Vertragslaufzeiten und -anzahl lässt. Auf Basis der Datenlage wird gezeigt, welche Auswirkungen diese besondere Konstellation auf die soziale Lage, soziale Zusammensetzung, Ausgestaltung der Verträge und in letzter Konsequenz die Einhaltung von Arbeitnehmer:innenrechten hat. Das Beispiel Berlin zeigt wiederum, dass eine Integration studentischer Beschäftigter in das „duale System“ regulierter Arbeitsbeziehungen möglich ist und dies positive Auswirkungen auf soziale Lage der Beschäftigten sowie die Einhaltung derer Arbeitnehmer*innenrechte hat. Die vorgelegten Forschungsergebnisse werden von den Gewerkschaften ver.di und GEW in die Spitzengespräche mit der Tarifgemeinschaft deutscher Länder (TdL – Arbeitgeberverband der Länder) über eine Bestandsaufnahme zu den Arbeits- und Beschäftigungsbedingungen studentischer Beschäftigter eingebracht. Die Gespräche sollen aus Sicht der Gewerkschaften eine Tarifierung der studentischen/wissenschaftliche Hilfskräfte und Tutor*innen vorbereiten." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Lata, Lutfun Nahar, Jasmine Burdon & Tim Reddel (2023): New tech, old exploitation: Gig economy, algorithmic control and migrant labour. In: Sociology Compass, Jg. 17, H. 1, S. e13028. DOI:10.1111/soc4.13028

Abstract

"Digital platforms are the newest technological wave that is reshaping and reconfiguring the economic and labour landscape. Digital platforms often known as the gig economy are increasingly adopting app-based models to connect consumers with workers to complete their on-demand tasks. However, on-demand platforms continue to rely on the unequal division of labour and the precarious nature of the work to create labour markets that can respond accordingly to the increase in service provision. This review highlights two main themes that have emerged within the on-demand gig economy in the current literature—mythical autonomy and algorithmic control and misclassification of labour and the complexity of migrant workers in navigating this space. Finally, this review calls for further research into the inside/outside dichotomy of migrant labour within the gig economy and their experiences of labour exploitation through app-based digital platforms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))

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Loschert, Franziska, Holger Kolb & Franziska Schork (2023): Prekäre Beschäftigung - prekäre Teilhabe. Ausländische Arbeitskräfte im deutschen Niedriglohnsektor. (SVR-Studie / Sachverständigenrat für Integration und Migration 2023-1), Berlin, 118 S.

Abstract

"Ausländische Arbeitskräfte sind in vielen Branchen der deutschen Wirtschaft längst unverzichtbar geworden. Dazu zählen auch solche Sektoren, in denen prekäre Arbeitsverhältnisse, die durch geringe Entlohnung und harte Arbeitsbedingungen gekennzeichnet sind, oftmals nicht die Ausnahme, sondern die Regel sind. Der SVR untersucht im Rahmen einer qualitativen Interviewstudie die Ursachen und Folgen von Prekaritätsverhältnissen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt, die ausländische Arbeitskräfte betreffen. Die Studie gibt praxisorientierte Handlungsempfehlungen für Politik, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Murillo-Huertas, Inés P., Raul Ramos, Hipólito Simón & Raquel Simón-Albert (2023): Is multidimensional precarious employment higher for women? In: The Journal of Industrial Relations, Jg. 65, H. 1, S. 44-71. DOI:10.1177/00221856221128873

Abstract

"This article examines the relative employment situation of female employees from a novel perspective based on the construction of multidimensional indicators of employment precariousness that allow examining its scale and nature. The evidence obtained for Spain shows that both the intensity and incidence of precarious employment are significantly higher for women, to the point that half of the women are multidimensionally precarious (with an incidence which is 40% higher than that of men) and precarious females simultaneously suffer on average from nearly three deficiencies in their jobs. Although female employment precariousness is highly persistent over time, it also exhibits significant oscillations plausibly linked to changes in the economy's cyclical position and in labor market regulations. Moreover, it exhibits a great heterogeneity by subgroups (it has even an extreme nature for certain subgroups of females) and by individuals (25% of women suffer between three and six job deficiencies, which compares with 24% of women having jobs without any type of deficiency). Finally, although the greater labor precariousness of women is largely explained by their observed characteristics, particularly by their greater presence in part-time jobs, women still have a greater probability of being precarious than observationally similar men." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Murphy, Caroline & Thomas Turner (2023): A world of unstable jobs is far from the empirical trends displayed in the Irish labor market in the 21st century. In: The Journal of Industrial Relations, Jg. 65, H. 5, S. 734-744. DOI:10.1177/00221856231193295

Abstract

"Labor market dynamics are complex, limiting the capacity for consensus on a singular phenomenon to account for patterns. In this paper, we present a range of broader empirical trends from the Irish labor market that suggests the possible impact of neoliberal-type policies in the Irish market has been counterbalanced by strong human capital and skills development, growth in higher level occupations and employment protection. Though precarious work is a feature of parts of the labor market, the theoretical assumptions underpinning precarious work we argue should not be extrapolated to explain changes in job stability in the labor market at large." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Neuhauser, Johanna & Peter Birke (2023): Migration and labour unrest during the pandemic: Studies from Germany and Austria. In: The Economic and Labour Relations Review, Jg. 34, S. 426-443. DOI:10.1017/elr.2023.31

Abstract

"This paper presents the results of research, which highlights the situation during the pandemic in sectors characterized by low wages and a high turnover of workers. The empirical basis is formed by company case studies in the meat industry, postal services, and mask production in Germany and Austria. This paper discusses the significance of different locations (at and beyond the workplace) and forms (‘exit’ and ‘voice’) of labor unrest in sectors of the economy that are characterized by a predominance of the use of migrant labor. It questions how conflicts over migrant labor have been articulated and possibly changed in the pandemic, and what factors may have contributed not only to an upsurge but also to the containment, regulation, and repression, of labor unrest." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Smith, Andrew & Jo McBride (2023): 'It was doing my head in': Low-paid multiple employment and zero hours work. In: BJIR, Jg. 61, H. 1, S. 3-23. DOI:10.1111/bjir.12689

Abstract

"This article explores the lived experiences and working time complexities of low-paid workers in legitimate multiple employment and zero hours work. Based on detailed qualitative research, these workers have 2, 3, 4, 5 and even 7 different jobs out of necessity due to low-pay, unpredictable working hours and employment precarity. The research reveals that workers need to be available for (potential) work at any point but may not actually be offered any hours, which we argue constitutes unremunerated labour time. The findings highlight a densification of working time with zero hours work as employers maximize productive effort into specifically numbered, demarcated and minimized working hours, which tightens the porosity of labour. There is a dual fragmentation and individualization of employment, as these workers traverse multiple, expansive, complex and dynamic temporalities of work. This study identifies new economic and temporal indeterminacies of labour, which fundamentally transform the employment relationship and wage-effort bargain." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Allmendinger, Jutta, Kerstin Jahn, Markus Promberger, Brigitte Schels & Stefan Stuth (2022): Prekäre Beschäftigung und unsichere Haushaltslagen im Lebensverlauf. Gibt es in Deutschland ein verfestigtes Prekariat? In: Rosenke, Werena (Hrsg.) (2022): Alles rund ums Wohnen und Nicht-Wohnen, S. 9-36.

Abstract

"Prekäre Beschäftigung und unsichere Haushaltslagen im Lebensverlauf: Gibt es in Deutschland ein verfestigtes Prekariat? Vor dem Hintergrund des Strukturwandels der Erwerbsarbeit in den letzten Jahrzehnten sind die Begriffe Prekariat und Prekarität nach wie vor Gegenstand aktueller Debatten. Prekäre Beschäftigung scheint in Deutschland alltäglich geworden, jedoch in sozialer Hinsicht problematisch geblieben zu sein. Für den statistischen Nachweis und die Größenbestimmung eines Prekariats, verstanden als zeitlich stabile soziale Gruppe, deren Angehörige dauerhaft wenig Chancen auf Besserung ihrer Lage haben, fehlten in Deutschland bisher jedoch Längsschnittstudien. Erschwert wird die wissenschaftliche Befundlage überdies dadurch, dass prekäre Beschäftigung und prekäre Haushaltslagen bisher meist getrennt voneinander analysiert wurden. Der Beitrag untersucht die Frage, ob sich in Deutschland tatsächlich ein verfestigtes Prekariat herausgebildet hat, indem sowohl Beschäftigungs- als auch Haushaltsverläufe mithilfe einer Typisierung durch Sequenzclusteranalysen einbezogen werden. Grundlage ist das Sozio-ökonomische Panel (SOEP) in zwei Zehnjahresperioden von 1993 bis 2012; rund 10?000 befragte Erwerbspersonen werden über eine komplexe Indexbildung auf den Grad der Prekarität untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass etwa ein Achtel der deutschen Erwerbsbevölkerung dauerhaft prekär beschäftigt ist und auch im Haushaltskontext unter prekären Umständen lebt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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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))

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Cini, Lorenzo, Vincenzo Maccarrone & Arianna Tassinari (2022): With or without U(nions)? Understanding the diversity of gig workers' organizing practices in Italy and the UK. In: European journal of industrial relations, Jg. 28, H. 3, S. 341-362. DOI:10.1177/09596801211052531

Abstract

"Since 2016, mobilizations of gig workers across European countries have become increasingly common within location-based services, such as food delivery. Despite remarkable similarities in workers’ mobilization dynamics, their organizational forms have varied considerably, ranging from self-organization, to work councils, to unionization through rank-and-file or longstanding unions. To start making sense of this diversity in organizing practices, we compare two cases of mobilization in the food delivery sector: in Italy, where workers have initially opted for self-organization, and in the UK, where they have organized through rank-and-file unions. Drawing on interview and observational data gathered between 2016 and 2018, we find that the diversity of organizational forms across the two cases derives from the interaction between agential and contextual factors, namely: the capabilities of rank-and-file unions and the political tradition of militant organizing of the environment within which gig workers are embedded. These findings contribute to the emerging debate on labour relations in the gig economy by showing the central role that factors external to the labour process and to the institutional context play in shaping the structuring of labour antagonism in a still lowly institutionalized sector characterized by transnationally homogenous challenges." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Collins, Helen, Susan Barry & Piotr Dzuga (2022): "Working While Feeling Awful Is Normal": One Roma's Experience of Presenteeism. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 36, H. 2, S. 362-371. DOI:10.1177/0950017021998950

Abstract

"This article presents an account of a young Roma man’s lived experience of working in the agricultural sector while sick, and shines a spotlight on the impact of precarious work, low pay and eligibility, and access to sick pay, with particular emphasis on Roma, and how these factors interconnect to foster presenteeism. The repercussions of presenteeism, relayed through Piotr’s personal narrative and reflections about his work, family role, ambition and daily survival, enrich public sociology about this under explored area of migrant Roma’s working life." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Coron, Clotilde & Géraldine Schmidt (2022): The "Gender Face" of Job Insecurity in France: An Individual- and Organizational-Level Analysis. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 36, H. 6, S. 999-1017. DOI:10.1177/0950017021995673

Abstract

"Admittedly, women have a more precarious situation on the job market than men, which would suggest that they feel more insecure. However, literature on subjective job insecurity (JI) is contradictory about the effect of gender on JI. This could be explained by both individual characteristics and labour market gendered segregation – the companies in which women and men work do not have the same characteristics, particularly in terms of strategy and workforce management. Previous literature on JI rarely addresses this phenomenon. We propose to better understand the ‘gender face’ of subjective JI combining individual and organizational characteristics. We utilize data from the 2017 REPONSE survey and generalized linear models, notably multi-level models. Our findings reveal that, although women hold more precarious jobs, they work in more protective organizations. Consequently, while women report an average lower level of JI, this difference disappears when controlling for individual and organizational variables." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Doerr, Annabelle, Carina Hartmann & Christoph Sajons (2022): Unregistered work among refugees: Evidence from a list experiment in Germany. (WWZ discussion papers 2022,01), Basel, 42 S.

Abstract

"The integration of refugees in host countries' labor markets is complicated by structural barriers, missing formal qualification and language deficiencies. This leads to widespread concern that refugees may end up in informal and precarious employment relationships. Empirical evidence on the prevalence of unregistered work is missing, however, due to the sensitive and illegal nature of this phenomenon. In this paper, we conduct a list experiment to measure unregistered work among refugees in Germany. Our results indicate that 31% have had experience with an unregistered job since their arrival. Refugees who report that they do not have work permission show a significantly higher likelihood of experiencing unregistered work. Furthermore, the lack of post-secondary education and vocational degrees, and a low German proficiency predict the risk to work without registration." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Dörre, Klaus, Klaus Kraemer & Frederic Speidel (Hrsg.) (2022): Prekarität. Ursachen, soziale Folgen und politische Verarbeitungsformen unsicherer Beschäftigungsverhältnisse. (Analysen zu gesellschaftlicher Integration und Desintegration), Wiesbaden: VS, Verl. für Sozialwissenschaften, 300 S.

Abstract

Gegenwärtig erleben die reichen Gesellschaften des Westens eine Wiederkehr sozialer Unsicherheit. Die vorliegende Studie sieht in der Ausbreitung prekärer Arbeitsverhältnisse eine zentrale Ursache. Auf der Basis empirischer Untersuchungen zur subjektiven Verarbeitung unsicherer Beschäftigung präsentieren die Autoren ihre inzwischen intensiv diskutierte Typologie der Prekarität erstmals in einer ausführlichen Fassung. Darüber hinaus werden Folgeuntersuchungen zu Langzeitarbeitslosen, Ein-Euro-Jobbern, Leiharbeitern und veränderten Arbeitsbeziehungen ausgewertet. Das Resümee der Autoren lautet: Prekarität ist nicht länger ein exklusives Phänomen an den Rändern der Arbeitsgesellschaft. Einem Bumerangeffekt gleich wirkt die disziplinierende Kraft unsicherer Arbeits- und Lebensverhältnisse auf integrierte Gruppen zurück. Die Folgen sind über den Arbeitsmarkt und die Unternehmen hinaus bis ins politische System hinein spürbar. Themen der Studie sind u. a.: Typische Verarbeitungsformen von Prekarität, flexible und prekäre Beschäftigung, das Desintegrationsparadox, Prekarität und Disziplinierung, Hartz-IV-Folgen, politische Verarbeitungsformen von Prekarität, Rechtspopulistische Orientierungen.

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Grimm, Natalie (2022): Prekäre Erwerbs- und Haushaltslagen. In: K. Marquardsen (Hrsg.) (2022): Armutsforschung. Handbuch für Wissenschaft und Forschung, S. 231-243.

Abstract

"Der Begriff der 'Prekarität' verweist seit vielen Jahren auf eine durch arbeits- und sozialstaatliche Veränderungen entstandene gesellschaftliche Zwischenzone zwischen Armut und existenzsichernder Stabilität. Durch den deutschen Beschäftigungsboom war das Thema der Prekarität zeitweise aus der öffentlichen Debatte verschwunden. Die Covid-19-Krise zeigt aber wie in einem Brennglas, dass all die gesellschaftlichen Probleme, auf die die Prekaritätsdebatte hinweist, keineswegs verschwunden sind: Brüchige (Erwerbs-)Biographien, unsichere soziale Statuspositionen sowie Spaltungen und Fragmentierungen in der Arbeitswelt, die immense Auswirkungen auf Erwerbs- und Lebenslagen haben." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Becker, Paul, Anna-Elisabeth Hampel, Eva Luise Krause & Laura Spitaleri (2022): Prekär durch die Krise - Einblicke in die Arbeitsmarktsituation von Eingewanderten in der Pandemie. (Analysen und Studien / IQ-Fachstelle Einwanderung 2022,01), Berlin: Mensch und Buch Verlag, 52 S.

Abstract

"In der vorliegenden Studie werden zentrale Erkenntnisse aus den bisherigen Veröffentlichungen der Fachstelle Einwanderung eingebunden und um aktuelle Zahlen ergänzt. Im Zentrum der Datenanalyse steht die Frage, wie sich der Einbruch der Wirtschaft auf die Arbeitslosen- und Beschäftigtenzahlen sowie auf die Einkommen auswirkte und welche Personengruppen – differenziert nach Geschlecht und Herkunftsstaaten – von diesen Veränderungen besonders stark betroffen waren. Zudem werden Veränderungen in einzelnen ausgewählten Berufshauptgruppen und Beschäftigungsarten näher betrachtet. Dafür wurden Berufshauptgruppen ausgewählt, in denen infolge der COVID-19-Krise Fachkräfteengpässe bestehen oder zu erwarten sind. Neben statistischen Sekundärdaten bezieht sich die Studie auf Erkenntnisse aus einem Fachaustausch mit Beratenden sowie mehreren qualitativen Interviews, die mit in Deutschland arbeitenden Neuzugewanderten im Frühling und Sommer 2021 geführt wurden und ihrerseits Hinweise auf sich verschärfende Prekarisierungstendenzen in Beschäftigungsverhältnissen von Migrant*innen in Deutschland geben." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Sluiter, Roderick, Katerina Manevska & Agnes Akkerman (2022): Atypical work, worker voice and supervisor responses. In: Socio-economic review, Jg. 20, H. 3, S. 1069-1089. DOI:10.1093/ser/mwaa022

Abstract

"We study atypical workers’ experiences with voice of in the Netherlands. We take a relational approach to worker voice and hypothesize that atypical workers are particularly vulnerable to refrain from voice and to experience suppression. We test our hypotheses using unique data on workers’ actual experiences with voicing discontent and supervisors’ responses (N = 4708; collected in 2017 and 2018). We find that temporary and freelance work, job insecurity, replaceability and precarious values are barriers to worker voice. Job insecurity and precarious values are associated with less support and more suppression from supervisors. These insights offer a valuable contribution to scholarly and public debates on atypical work by demonstrating how it not only affects workers’ job security, income stability and entitlements but also reduces workers’ ability to speak up and solve problems at work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Allan, Blake A., Kelsey L. Autin & Kerrie G. Wilkins-Yel (2021): Precarious work in the 21st century: A psychological perspective. In: Journal of vocational behavior, Jg. 126. DOI:10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103491

Abstract

"Converging forces have led to an increase in precarious work, which threatens the health and well-being of workers globally and in the United States. Scholars in many fields are studying the implications of precarious work, and work psychologists have contributed to this literature by studying constructs such as job insecurity, underemployment, and decent work. In this article, we summarize the literature on precarious work and offer a psychological framework of work precarity to connect this psychological research with the existing precarious work literature. In the work precarity framework, social and economic marginalization and economic conditions and policies influence who has precarious work, which subsequently leads to three psychological states of work precarity: precarity of work (i.e., uncertainty related to the continuity of one's work), precarity at work (i.e., unpredictability in work due to discrimination, harassment, and unsafe working conditions), and precarity from work (i.e., uncertainty from holding a job that does not meet one's basic needs). These psychological states then result in poorer job attitudes, poorer mental health, and disrupted identity. We also provide future directions for research in this area and identify areas where work psychologists can contribute and advance the literature." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2021 Elsevier) ((en))

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Biewen, Martin & Miriam Sturm (2021): Why a Labour Market Boom Does Not Necessarily Bring Down Inequality. Putting Together Germany's Inequality Puzzle. (IZA discussion paper 14357), Bonn, 32 S.

Abstract

"After an economically tough start into the new millennium, Germany experienced an unprecedented employment boom after 2005 only stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Persistently high levels of inequality despite a booming labour market and drastically falling unemployment rates constituted a puzzle, suggesting either that the German job miracle mainly benefitted individuals in the mid- or high-income range or that other developments offset the effects of the drastically improved labour market conditions. The present paper solves this puzzle by breaking down the observed changes in the distribution of disposable incomes between 2005/06 and 2015/16 into the contributions of eight different factors, one of them being the employment boom. Our results suggest that, while the latter did have an equalising impact, it was partially offset by the disequalising impact of other factors and substantially dampened by the tax and transfer system. Our results point to a strong role of the German tax and transfer system as a distributional stabilizer implying that, if the COVID-19 shock were to persistently reverse all the employment gains that occurred during the boom, this would only have a moderately disequalising effect on the distribution of net incomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Bloch, Roland & Carsten Würmann (2021): Prekär, aber frei? Arbeitsbedingungen und Karrierewege in der Wissenschaft. In: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte, Jg. 71, H. 46, S. 48-54.

Abstract

"Die Professur ist in Deutschland Leitbild der wissenschaftlichen Karriere. Wie hat sich das universitäre Karriere- und Beschäftigungssystem entwickelt? Welche Konsequenzen könnten sich daraus für die Wissenschaftsfreiheit ergeben?" (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Bruckmeier, Kerstin, Diego d'Andria & Regina Konle-Seidl (2021): Social protection of atypical workers during the Covid-19 crisis. In: IAB-Forum H. 28.05.2021 Nürnberg, o. Sz., 2021-05-27.

Abstract

"The Covid-19 crisis acts like a magnifying glass under which already existing problems within countries’ social protection systems become more visible than before. It puts the spotlight on weaknesses, especially the social protection of the atypically employed and the (solo) self-employed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Carver, Laura & Virginia Doellgast (2021): Dualism or solidarity? Conditions for union success in regulating precarious work. In: European journal of industrial relations, Jg. 27, H. 4, S. 367-385. DOI:10.1177/0959680120978916

Abstract

"This article summarizes and reviews research on union responses to precarious work in Europe, based on a systematic coding of 56 case study-based articles published between 2008 and 2019. Analyses of these cases suggest two paths to labour market dualism, with the first involving institutional fragmentation and union division, and the second a combination of weak structural power and partnership-oriented union identities. The authors also identify two paths to solidarity, with the result of reduced precarity for peripheral workers: a conflict-based path and a social partnership-based path. Campaigns to organize migrant workers present distinctive institutional and structural challenges to unions, with studies involving migrants most often finding ‘failed solidarity’, in which inclusive organizing fails to reduce precarity. The article integrates these findings with past frameworks on union responses to precarious work and concludes with recommendations for future research." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Conen, Wieteke & Paul de Beer (2021): When two (or more) do not equal one: an analysis of the changing nature of multiple and single jobholding in Europe. In: Transfer, Jg. 27, H. 2, S. 165-180. DOI:10.1177/10242589211002630

Abstract

"Ausmaß und Struktur multipler Arbeitsverhältnisse und ihre Konsequenzen für Menschen in Mehrfachbeschäftigung ändern sich in zahlreichen westlichen Volkswirtschaften. Zurzeit stehen nur begrenzte quantitative empirische Erkenntnisse über die sich ändernden Merkmale multipler Arbeitsverhältnisse und über die Frage zur Verfügung, ob sich die ökonomisch prekäre Lage von Menschen im Laufe der Zeit geändert hat. In dem vorliegenden Artikel befassen wir uns in erster Linie mit der Situation von Menschen in Mehrfachbeschäftigung und den für sie geltenden Trends im Vergleich zum „klassischen” Arbeitnehmer oder Arbeitnehmerin in Europa mit nur einem Arbeitsplatz. Dazu untersuchen wir die Arbeitszeiten und gehen außerdem den Fragen nach, ob Arbeitnehmer:innen gern längere Arbeitszeiten hätten und ob sie trotz ihrer Beschäftigung von Armut bedroht sind. Zu diesem Zweck untersuchen wir Daten, die seit Anfang der 2000er Jahre im Rahmen der EU-Arbeitskräfteerhebung und der EU-Statistik über Einkommen und Lebensbedingungen erfasst wurden. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass multiple Arbeitsverhältnisse ein signifikantes und um sich greifendes Phänomen in den Arbeitsmärkten zahlreicher hoch entwickelter Volkswirtschaften sind, wobei sich die Merkmale ständig ändern. Das gilt zum Beispiel für die geschlechtsspezifische Verteilung und Kombination dieser Arbeitsverträge. Die Armutsgefährdung von Erwerbstätigen ist in atypischen Arbeitsverhältnissen relativ hoch, aber die Ergebnisse belegen keinen negativen Trend. Armut trotz Erwerbstätigkeit scheint bei Single-Arbeitnehmer:innen und Arbeitnehmer:innen in atypischen Beschäftigungsverhältnissen zuzunehmen, dies gilt sowohl für Beschäftigte mit nur einem Job als auch für Mehrfachbeschäftigte." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Gauffin, Karl, Kristian Heggebø & Jon Ivar Elstad (2021): Precariousness in Norway and Sweden: a comparative register-based study of longstanding precarious attachment to the labour market 1996–2015. In: European Societies, Jg. 23, H. 3, S. 379-402. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2021.1882685

Abstract

"Precariousness in working life is a rising concern in Europe, but scant statistical evidence exists as to the prevalence and development of longstanding precarious employment. Using high-quality individual-level population-wide register data across several decades, this study addresses this issue in Norway and Sweden. Longstanding precarious attachment to the labour market was defined as low/marginal work income during eight years, with frequent substantial income drops and/or reliance on income maintenance schemes. In the core working-age population, 15.3 percent in Norway and 20.0 percent in Sweden had this employment attachment during 1996–2003. Women, low educated, and foreign-born were at higher risk. Contrary to expectations, in 2008–2015, longstanding precarious attachment had declined to 12.7 percent in Norway and 14.5 percent in Sweden. Women in particular, but also immigrants, had attained stronger labour market attachment in the latter period. These results could indicate that key welfare state elements such as trade union strength, strong employment protection and active labour market policies have been successful in shielding workers from negative labour market developments. However, certain population categories with particularly high risk of precarious employment, such as young adults and short-term and undocumented immigrants, have not been analysed by this study" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Konle-Seidl, Regina (2021): Precarious but popular? The German mini-job scheme in comparative research on work and welfare. In: Journal of international and comparative social policy, Jg. 37, H. 3, S. 293-306., 2021-10-14. DOI:10.1017/ics.2021.11

Abstract

"This review paper critically examines a range of analytical frameworks used to analyse the German mini-job scheme in comparative research on work and welfare. The approaches examined include labour market dualisation in comparative political economy research and welfare-to-work policies in comparative social policy research. The paper claims that using stylized facts instead of a thorough understanding of the broader context of national employment and social systems leads to misinterpretations in terms of policy learning. By describing the institutional context and main drivers of the evolution of mini-jobs over time, based on variety of data sources, statistics and empirical studies, the paper addresses the critical role of this specific employment scheme for gender equality, largely ignored in the comparative literature." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Krings, Torben (2021): "Good" Bad Jobs? The Evolution of Migrant Low-Wage Employment in Germany (1985-2015). In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 35, H. 3, S. 527-544. DOI:10.1177/0950017020946567

Abstract

"The article examines the evolution of migrant low-wage employment in the context of structural changes in the German labour market. By drawing on data from the Socio-Economic-Panel, it seeks to answer why low-wage jobs disproportionally rose among migrants since the late 1980s. It argues that while human capital characteristics mattered to some extent, institutional and organisational changes were more important to account for worsening earnings. When linking the findings to the broader debate about migration and labour market segmentation, several issues emerge. First, the extent of low-wage jobs is not fixed but shaped by historically specific segmentation patterns that may change over time. Second, whether less-skilled jobs are precarious and of low pay depend above all on the presence of inclusive labour market institutions and power relations between actors. Third, the growth of low-wage jobs cannot be considered independent of the available labour supply, including a rise in cross-border mobility." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Kınıkoğlu, Canan Neşe & Aysegul Can (2021): Negotiating the different degrees of precarity in the UK academia during the Covid-19 pandemic. In: European Societies, Jg. 23, H. sup1, S. S817-S830. DOI:10.1080/14616696.2020.1839670

Abstract

"This study explores how early career academics negotiate precarity in the higher education sector in the United Kingdom under the amplified uncertainties brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our preliminary findings based on the semi-structured interviews with nine early career academics (six women and three men) shed light on varying experiences of early career academic precarity with regard to working and life routines, and their participation in the job market. We argue that early career academics’ gender, employment status, and their university affiliations influence the degree to which they are able to instrumentalise and negotiate precarity during the pandemic in the UK." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Manolchev, Constantine, Richard Saundry & Duncan Lewis (2021): Breaking up the 'precariat': Personalisation, differentiation and deindividuation in precarious work groups. In: Economic and Industrial Democracy, Jg. 42, H. 3, S. 828-851. DOI:10.1177/0143831X18814625

Abstract

"Much-debated and researched, the subject of precarious work remains at the forefront of academic and policy discourses. A development of current interest is the reported growth of employment flexibility and increase in non-standard and atypical work, regarded by some as contributing to the emergence of a class-like 'precariat' of insecure and marginalised workers. However, this precariat framework remain largely untested and underexplored. Using in-depth narratives from 77 semi-structured interviews with workers from groups within the precariat spectrum, in this article the authors address this gap. The study finds that cohesion within and between these groups is overstated, and worker collectivisation far from apparent. As a result, this diversity of group dynamics, attitudes and experiences challenges not only negative conceptualisations of the precariat in the literature, but the theoretical validity of the precariat framework itself." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Maxwell, G. A. & K. Grant (2021): Commercial airline pilots' declining professional standing and increasing precarious employment. In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 32, H. 7, S. 1486-1508. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2018.1528473

Abstract

"With the advent of low-cost employment systems for pilots in commercial airlines, we address two questions: What are experienced UK-based, commercial airline pilots’ perspectives on their current professional standing? What are their perspectives on current precarious employment in commercial airline piloting? Analysis of qualitative data from 28 pilots in commercial, passenger carrying airlines reveals declining professional standing and increasing precarious employment, alongside enduring aspects of professionalism. The corollary is that precarious professional employment is an emerging, pervasive type of low-cost employment system in the studied context. In terms of theoretical implications, our study highlights the need for exactness in understanding the complexities of declining professional standing and increasingly precarious employment. Our analysis offers an exact term, pilot-cariat, to encapsulate contemporary, UK-based and experienced commercial airline pilot employment. Further research may reveal more of what we call cariats in other occupations with responsibility for lives in similarly cost constrained and management agency contexts." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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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))

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Padrosa, Eva, Mireia Bolíbar, Mireia Julià & Joan Benach (2021): Drivers of Youth Labour Market Integration Across European Regions. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 154, H. 3, S. 893-915. DOI:10.1007/s11205-020-02539-w

Abstract

"Comparing precarious employment (PE) across countries is essential to deepen the understanding of the phenomenon and to learn from country-specific experiences. However, this is hampered by the lack of internationally meaningful measures of PE. We aim to address this point by assessing the measurement invariance (MI) of the Employment Precariousness Scale for Europe (EPRES-E), an adaptation of the EPRES construct in the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS). EPRES-E consists of 13 proxy-indicators sorted into six dimensions: temporariness, disempowerment, vulnerability, wages, exercise of rights, unpredictable working times. Drawing on EWCS-2015, MI of the second-order factor model was tested in a sample of 31,340 formal employees by means of (a) multi-group confirmatory factor analyses, and (b) the substantive exploration of EPRES-E mean scores in each country. The results demonstrate that threshold invariance holds for the first-order structure (dimensions) of 22 countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK), but only metric invariance is attained by the second-order structure. The latter is supported by the exploration of mean scores, where we found that different score patterns in each dimension lead to similar overall EPRES-E scores, suggesting that PE is configured by different sources within the six dimensions in each country according to their broader socio-political trajectories. We conclude that, although EPRES-E can be used for comparative purposes in 22 European countries, the scores of each dimension must be reported alongside the overall EPRES-E score." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Pagis, Michal (2021): Inhabiting the Self-Work Romantic Utopia: Positive Psychology, Life Coaching, and the Challenge of Self-Fulfillment at Work. In: Work and occupations, Jg. 48, H. 1, S. 40-69. DOI:10.1177/0730888420911683

Abstract

"Much has been said about the rise of work as a central identity marker in modern society. With the recent popularization of self-help and positive psychology, this identity marker broadened its signification to include new emotional needs such as love and passion, creating a new cultural imaginary: the “self-work romantic utopia.” Sociological studies have criticized this utopia as a myth that serves capitalist neoliberal structures, leading to frustration and self-blame. However, little is known about how workers themselves confront this myth and the strategies they employ when attempting to inhabit it in today’s precarious job market. Based on 60 in-depth interviews with upper-middle class Israeli workers who hired life coaches to improve their work experience, the author identifies five strategies used to inhabit this romantic utopia: starting over, healing, idealization, polygamy, and vision. Through the analysis of these strategies, the author illustrates how even the relatively privileged workers need to adapt the self-work romantic utopia to their life circumstances, inhabiting the myth in partial degrees. Such flexible implementation turns the “myth” into a cultural tool that directs workers’ lives and actions even in a precarious, unstable job market, maintaining subjective experiences of agency in a sphere characterized by growing structural constraints. Yet paradoxically, these strategies eventually strengthen the precarious, noncommitted, and individual-oriented structure of the job market, yielding flexible, individualistic solutions that replace workplace responsibility." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Patrick-Thomson, Holly & Michael Kranert (2021): Don't Work for Free: Online Discursive Resistance to Precarity in Commercial Photography. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 35, H. 6, S. 1034-1052. DOI:10.1177/0950017020952630

Abstract

"While increasing academic attention has been paid to the precariousness of contemporary work, less research has examined how workers organise in response. This article examines how a group of precarious workers – commercial photographers – use an online forum to resist changes to their working conditions. Our findings illustrate how the forum enables photographers to share knowledge, debate rules and organise collectively. We discuss two implications: firstly that the forum performs many of the functions of a professional association, and so gives us a new insight into how traditional forms of worker organisation may be translated in the digital realm; and secondly, that the form of collective resistance produced by the group may constitute a move beyond existing understandings of online resistance as relatively ineffectual. Our work contributes a new perspective on how precarity is reshaping workers’ collective organisation and resistance mechanisms." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Seo, Hyojin (2021): 'Dual' labour market? Patterns of segmentation in European labour markets and the varieties of precariousness. In: Transfer, Jg. 27, H. 4, S. 485-503. DOI:10.1177/10242589211061070

Abstract

"Der vorliegende Artikel will empirisch untersuchen, in welcher Weise die europäischen Arbeitsmärkte segmentiert sind und wer zu den Outsidern gehört. Der Artikel will das bisher übliche dichotome Modell der Segmentierung des Arbeitsmarktes überwinden, das bisher oft ausschließlich auf der Analyse von Arbeitsbeziehungen beruht. Die vorliegende Studie definiert vielmehr prekäre Verhältnisse auf dem Arbeitsmarkt anhand einer multidimensionalen Betrachtung, die auch Aspekte wie Einkommen, berufliche Perspektiven und subjektive Unsicherheit einbezieht. Mit der Methode der latenten Klassenanalyse werden Daten aus der Europäischen Erhebung über die Arbeitsbedingungen 2015 verwendet, um die traditionelle Definition des Outsider-Status zu erweitern. Es lassen sich vier Arbeitsmarktsegmente definieren: Insider und drei unterschiedliche Typen von Outsidern: typische Outsider, perspektivlose Insider und subjektive Outsider. Betrachtet man hier den länderübergreifenden Aspekt, so lassen sich Unterschiede im Hinblick auf die Segmentierungsmuster und besonders in der Frage finden, wer die Outsider sind. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Untersuchung verschiedener Aspekte prekärer Arbeitsverhältnisse erforderlich ist, um die Komplexität postindustrieller Arbeitsmärkte erfassen zu können, und dass es unterschiedliche Outsider-Typologien in Europa zu beschreiben gilt, die für den Aufbau einer Gesellschaft mit stärkerem Zusammenhalt geschützt werden sollten." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Shepherd, Rowena & Mick Wilkinson (2021): Operating in the dark: The identification of forced labour in the UK. In: Critical Social Policy, Jg. 41, H. 2, S. 208-228. DOI:10.1177/0261018320921540

Abstract

"Presented here are the findings of a research study undertaken between 2015 and 2018 that focused on existing arrangements and mechanisms for front-line identification of the victims of forced labour in the UK. The study drew upon interviews with service professionals in enforcement and policing organisations together with workers in non-governmental victim support agencies. These findings reveal significant failings in current approaches, that suggest processes for the identification of victims remain, at best, uneven from service to service, location to location, at worst wholly inadequate. The study also exposed widespread stakeholder concerns around UK government regulatory guidance and immigration policies, suggesting that these were hindering rather than assisting them in the process of identification. Further, that the deregulated employment environment was one in which forced labour practices could both thrive and remain well-hidden amongst wider employer exploitation and abuse." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Shin, Young-Kyu, Teemu Kemppainen & Kati Kuitto (2021): Precarious Work, Unemployment Benefit Generosity and Universal Basic Income Preferences: A Multilevel Study on 21 European Countries. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 50, H. 2, S. 323-345. DOI:10.1017/S0047279420000185

Abstract

"The idea of universal basic income (UBI) has been attracting increasing attention globally over recent years. However, research on the individual and institutional determinants of UBI support is scarce. The present study attempts to fills this gap by analysing workers' attitudes towards UBI schemes in 21 European welfare states and focusing on the roles of precarious work (i.e. part-time work, temporary employment, low-skilled service employment, and solo self-employment) and unemployment benefit generosity (i.e. net replacement rate, payment duration, and qualifying period). We estimate fixed and random effects logistic models by merging country-level institutional data with the European Social Survey Round 8 data collected in 2016. The findings show that temporary employment is associated with positive attitudes towards UBI schemes, whereas other types of precarious work do not have significant influences. In addition, the results reveal that the more generous a country's unemployment benefits, the less likely are workers in that country to support UBI schemes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Trappmann, Vera, Alexandra Seehaus, Adam Mrozowicki & Agata Krasowska (2021): The Moral Boundary Drawing of Class: Social Inequality and Young Precarious Workers in Poland and Germany. In: Sociology, Jg. 55, H. 3, S. 451-468. DOI:10.1177/0038038520985791

Abstract

"This article explores the relational and moral aspects of the perception of class structure and class identifications by young people in objectively vulnerable labour market conditions in Poland and Germany. Drawing on 123 biographical interviews with young people in both countries, it demonstrates that young precarious Poles and Germans tend to identify themselves against the ‘middle class’ – understood variously in the two countries – and attribute the sources of economic wealth and social status in their societies to individual merits and entrepreneurship. Positioning oneself in the broad middle and limited identification with the precariat is explained by the youth transition phase, country-specific devaluation of class discourses and the effects of individualisation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Beckmann, Fabian (2020): Die Erwerbstätigkeit von Frauen in Minijobs: eine subjektorientierte Analyse (des-) integrativer Dynamiken atypischer Beschäftigung. In: Arbeits- und industriesoziologische Studien, Jg. 13, H. 2, S. 117-139.

Abstract

"Minijobs haben sich seit den 1990er Jahren speziell für Frauen als stabiles Arbeitsmarktsegment etabliert und werden ebenso lange als prekäre Beschäftigungsform problematisiert. Die zentralen Prekaritätsachsen bilden die im Vergleich zu sozialversicherungspflichtig Beschäftigten unterdurchschnittlichen Arbeits- und Beschäftigungsbedingungen sowie die unzureichende Möglichkeit einer eigenständigen sozialen Absicherung. Ausgehend von einer nur marginalen Subjektorientierung in der bisherigen Forschung beleuchtet der Beitrag diese Problemfelder von Minijobs und fragt nach der subjektiven Arbeitsqualität sowie den Ausprägungen und Erklärungsfaktoren der Erwerbspräferenzen von weiblichen Minijobbenden. Die Befunde signalisieren eine divergierende Beurteilung der Arbeitsqualität in unterschiedlichen Dimensionen von Erwerbsarbeit und sensibilisieren somit für den Nutzen mehrdimensionaler und subjektiver Zugänge für die Analyse von Arbeitsqualität. Darüber hinaus offenbart sich eine nur geringe Normalarbeitsorientierung unter (weiblichen) Minijobbenden, deren Ursachen vielfältig sind und nicht ausschließlich auf institutionelle Fehlanreize reduziert werden können." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Butterwegge, Christoph (2020): Die zerrissene Republik: wirtschaftliche, soziale und politische Ungleichheit in Deutschland. Weinheim: Beltz Juventa, 414 S.

Abstract

"Seit geraumer Zeit ist das Problem wachsender Ungleichheit das Kardinalproblem unserer Gesellschaft, wenn nicht der gesamten Menschheit. Während daraus im globalen Maßstab ökonomische Krisen, Kriege und Bürgerkriege resultieren, die wiederum größere Migrationsbewegungen nach sich ziehen, sind in Deutschland der soziale Zusammenhalt und die repräsentative Demokratie bedroht. Daher wird nicht bloß thematisiert, wie soziale Ungleichheit entsteht und warum sie zugenommen hat, sondern auch, weshalb die politisch Verantwortlichen darauf kaum reagieren und was getan werden muss, um sie einzudämmen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Beltz Juventa)

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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))

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Dorau, Ralf (2020): Berufseinstiegsverläufe: Berufliche Integration nach betrieblicher Berufsausbildung. In: WSI-Mitteilungen, Jg. 73, H. 4, S. 223-237. DOI:10.5771/0342-300X-2020-4-223

Abstract

"Ein entscheidender Übergang im Lebensverlauf ist die Passage von der Ausbildung in den Beruf. Allerdings ist dieser bei Absolvent*innen einer dualen Ausbildung nicht immer gelungen. Fast ein Viertel der Berufseinstiegsverläufe der im Jahr 2012 befragten Absolvent*innen der Abschlusskohorten 2006 bis 2008 ist prekär beschäftigt und knapp 5 % sind entkoppelt. Über Mehrebenenanalysen werden die Einflussfaktoren auf die berufliche Integration analysiert. Es zeigen sich größere Disparitäten zwischen Ost- und Westdeutschland sowie ein deutlicher Einfluss des Schulabschlusses und vor allem der Abschlussnote. Außerdem sind weibliche Fachkräfte häufiger prekär beschäftigt und seltener beruflich integriert als männliche Fachkräfte. Weiterhin finden sich in einzelnen Berufsfeldern Unterschiede hinsichtlich beruflicher Integration, und mit entsprechenden Kontexteffekten, wie beispielsweise bei weiblich dominierten Berufen, sinken die Chancen gelungener Integration." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Fritsch, Katrin & Helene von Schwichow (2020): Zwischen Flexibilität und Unsicherheit: Erfahrungen von Frauen in der Plattformökonomie. Expertise für den Dritten Gleichstellungsbericht der Bundesregierung. (Dritter Gleichstellungsbericht der Bundesregierung), Berlin, 62 S.

Abstract

"Die Plattformökonomie wächst und entwickelt sich zu einem zunehmend relevanten Arbeitsmarkt in Deutschland. Sie verspricht neue Möglichkeiten wie Offenheit, Flexibilität und Gleichheit für Arbeiter*innen. Für Frauen, die häufiger Sorgearbeit leisten, wirken die Arbeitsangebote, die eine Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf versprechen, besonders interessant. Gleichzeitig zeichnet sich in der Forschung ab, dass Plattformarbeit Probleme wie etwa Prekarisierung und Diskriminierung fortschreibt. Frauen sind auf dem deutschen Arbeitsmarkt ganz besonders von prekären Arbeitsbedingungen und Altersarmut betroffen, weil sie mehrheitlich in Teilzeit beschäftigt sind und geringere Renten beziehen. Welche Rolle spielt also die Plattformökonomie im Hinblick auf Gleichstellung? Und welche Erfahrungen machen Frauen tatsächlich bei der Arbeit auf Plattformen? Diese Expertise untersucht anhand von qualitativen, semi-strukturierten Interviews die Erfahrungen, die Plattformarbeiter*innen auf den Plattformen Airbnb, Helpling, 99designs und Textbroker machen. Ziel der Expertise ist es, tiefere Einblicke in die Lebenswelten von Plattformarbeiter*innen zu gewinnen und sie aus intersektionaler Perspektive zu interpretieren. Mit Hilfe einer thematischen Netzwerkanalyse zeigt sich, dass Frauen Plattformarbeit als flexibel, unsicher, intransparent und vereinzelnd erfahren. Zusätzlich stellt sich heraus, dass Plattformarbeiter* innen häufig unbezahlte, unsichtbare Arbeit leisten und sich Gender-Stereotype wie etwa die Frau als “gründliche Putzkraft” oder die Frau als “herzliche Gastgeberin” fortziehen oder sogar verstärken. Darauf basierend leitet diese Expertise Handlungsempfehlungen im Hinblick auf Gleichstellung und die Förderung fairer Arbeitsbedingungen ab." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Goncharuk, Tetiana (2020): "Der deutsche Staat gibt vor, dass wir nicht existieren“: Die Arbeits- und Rechtssituation von ukrainischen Care-Migrantinnen in Deutschland. In: Migration und Soziale Arbeit, Jg. 42, H. 3, S. 243-250. DOI:10.3262/MIG2003243

Abstract

"Der Pflegebedarf für ältere Menschen in Deutschland steigt jährlich. Trotzdem gibt es zahlreiche strukturelle Probleme bei der Organisation der häuslichen Altenpflege, die vom Staat ignoriert werden. All dies führt zur Etablierung eines alternativen Versorgungssystems bzw. Arbeitsmarktes mit prekären Arbeitsbedingungen, das Care-Arbeiterinnen aus Osteuropa und insbesondere aus der Ukraine betrifft." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Heimann, Anja & Markus Hummel (2020): Selbstvermarktung und neue Beschäftigungsformen. In: R. Helmrich, M. Hummel & M. I. Wolter (Hrsg.) (2020): Aktualisierte Megatrends: Relevanz und Umsetzbarkeit in den BIBB-IAB-Qualifikations- und Berufsfeldprojektionen, Leverkusen, Budrich S. 41-42.

Abstract

"Häufig entsprechen atypische Arbeitsverhältnisse den Wünschen und Lebenslagen der Beschäftigten. Dennoch sind diese Beschäftigungsformen für die Betroffenen oftmals deutlich weniger attraktiv als das Normalarbeitsverhältnis. Besonders am unteren Rand der Lohnverteilung zwischen Arbeitslosigkeit und traditionellem Normalarbeitsverhältnis ermöglichen diese Arbeitsverhältnisse vielen Erwerbslosen überhaupt erst den Einstieg in den Arbeitsmarkt. Vermittlungshemmnisse wie fehlende Qualifikation oder Alter sollen dadurch kompensiert werden. Lasten und Risiken sind verstärkt vom Arbeitnehmer bzw. von der Arbeitnehmerin zu tragen. Allerdings ist mit zunehmendem Arbeits- und Fachkräftemangel davon auszugehen, dass diese Lastenverteilung sich zugunsten der Arbeitnehmer/-innen verschieben wird. Dies wird zu einem Bedeutungsverlust dieser oftmals prekären Beschäftigungsverhältnisse führen." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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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))

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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))

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Jaehrling, Karen & Thorsten Kalina (2020): 'Grey zones' within dependent employment: formal and informal forms of on-call work in Germany. In: Transfer, Jg. 26, H. 4, S. 447-463. DOI:10.1177/1024258920937960

Abstract

"Der vorliegende Artikel zielt auf eine Bestandsaufnahme der verschiedenen Erscheinungsformen von Abrufarbeit in Deutschland und zeigt, dass die formale Variante von Abrufarbeit hier im internationalen Vergleich relativ strikt reguliert ist, nicht zuletzt durch eine Gesetzesreform, die 2019 in Kraft trat. Ähnlich wie in anderen Ländern kommen jedoch andere informelle Varianten zum Einsatz, die außerhalb des Geltungsbereichs der Re-Regulierung oder ‘‘Normalisierung’’ der formellen Abrufarbeit liegen. Differenzierte Analysen auf der Grundlage von Umfragedaten zeigen, dass sowohl formelle als auch informelle Varianten von Abrufarbeit mit einem unverhältnismäßig hohen Anteil an kurzer Teilzeit, Niedriglöhnen und damit einem hohen Armutsrisiko assoziiert sind. Die gegenwärtige Debatte über die Erosion des Arbeitnehmerstatus sollte sich deshalb nicht zu eng auf die Solo-Selbständigen in der Gig-Ökonomie beschränken (Deliveroo, Uber), sondern auch die ‘‘Grauzonen’’ im Bereich der abhängigen Beschäftigung in den Blick nehmen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)

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Millán, Ana, José María Millán & Leonel Caçador-Rodrigues (2020): Disclosing 'masked employees' in Europe: job control, job demands and job outcomes of 'dependent self-employed workers'. In: Small business economics, Jg. 55, H. 2, S. 461-474. DOI:10.1007/s11187-019-00245-7

Abstract

"In this study, we examine whether job control, job demands and job outcomes of 'dependent self-employed workers', i.e. the workers in this particular grey zone between employment and self-employment, are more similar to those of the self-employed or paid employed. To this end, we use microdata drawn from the 2010 wave of the European Working Conditions Survey for 34 European countries. First, we develop and validate a psychometrically sound multidimensional scale for these 3 key constructs by conducting both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Then, multilevel (hierarchical) linear regressions are used to test the validity of our hypotheses. Our results suggest that these hybrid work relationships are endowed with the least favourable attributes of both groups: lower job control than self-employed workers, higher job demands than paid employees and, overall, worse job outcomes than both." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))

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Pongratz, Hans J. (2020): Die Solo-Selbstständigen – was sie trennt und verbindet. In: WISO, Jg. 43, H. 2, S. 11-34.

Abstract

"Die meisten Selbstständigen in Deutschland und Österreich sind „solo“ und haben keine Beschäftigten. Hinsichtlich ihrer Erwerbslage, der sozialen Sicherung und der Interessenvertretung erweist sich diese Erwerbsgruppe als ausgesprochen heterogen. In der Bewältigung beruflicher Herausforderungen und der Nutzung von Institutionen und Ressourcen aber teilen sie eine Reihe kollektiver Grunderfahrungen. Aus sozialwissenschaftlicher Sicht nehmen sie damit eine Vorreiterrolle im Wandel der Erwerbsarbeit ein." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © ISW-Linz)

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Schulz, Gabriele & Olaf Zimmermann (2020): Frauen und Männer im Kulturmarkt. Bericht zur wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Lage. Berlin: Deutscher Kulturrat e.V., 510 S.

Abstract

"Nach den Studien "Arbeitsmarkt Kultur" (2013) und "Frauen in Kultur und Medien" (2016) legen die Autoren nun die dritte umfängliche Untersuchung zur wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Lage in Kulturberufen vor. Untersucht wird wie viele Frauen und Männer eine Ausbildung im dualen Ausbildungssystem für Kulturberufe absolvieren und wie viele ein Studium. Es wird dargestellt, wie viele Frauen und Männer im Arbeitsmarkt Kultur beschäftigt sind und wie es um ihr Einkommen bestellt ist. Es wird der Frage nachgegangen, wie viele Frauen und Männer im Kulturbereich freiberuflich tätig sind und was sie verdienen. Der Arbeitsmarkt Architektur, Bibliotheken, Bildende Kunst, Buchhandel, Design, Film, Journalismus, Kunsthandwerk, Literatur, Musik, Rundfunk, Theater und Werbung wird behandelt. Ein besonderer Blick wird in der Studie auf die Situation von Frauen im Arbeitsmarkt Kultur und Medien geworfen." (Verlagsinformation, IAB-Doku)

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Stuth, Stefan & Kerstin Jahn (2020): Young, successful, precarious? Precariousness at the entry stage of employment careers in Germany. In: Journal of Youth Studies, Jg. 23, H. 6, S. 702-725., 2019-06-20. DOI:10.1080/13676261.2019.1636945

Abstract

"The article investigates entry-stage employment trajectories of young people in Germany, asking whether transitions into continuous employment indicate successful labour market integration. Applying a novel multidimensional approach to precariousness to individuals' employment and household trajectories, we understand entry-stage employment trajectories holistically. The balanced-panel sample is drawn from the German Socio-Economic Panel, with a focus on young men and women between 15 and 25 years of age in the first year of the sample period who had been employed at least once (n?=?1360).
Dual-channel sequence-cluster analysis reveals considerable variation in the precariousness of young people's entry-stage employment. While almost all young men and women experience periods of precariousness, the durations vary substantially. Precarious employment or precarious living conditions frequently occur during education. Our results confirm that individuals with disrupted employment trajectories are seldom successfully integrated into the labour market and frequently experience precarious employment. In previous research, transitions into continuous employment have been understood as the hallmark of successful labour market integration. This holds true for young women but not for young men, who experienced continuous and precarious entry-stage employment. To correctly identify young men's successful labour market integration, additional information about their employment precariousness is required." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

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Teupen, Sonja (2020): Symbolisch prekär. Personale Identität in Selbsterzählungen armer Frauen. (Kulturelle Figurationen: Artefakte, Praktiken, Fiktionen), Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 503 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-658-26974-6

Abstract

"Im Zentrum der mikrosoziologisch und kulturpsychologisch informierten Studie steht die Subjektposition der armen Frau. Im Unterschied zu anderen Subjektpositionen geht diese nicht mit einem Versprechen sozialer Anerkennung einher, sondern erfolgt vorrangig unter Bedingungen symbolischer Prekarität. Anhand von Selbsterzählungen von Frauen in Armutslagen in Deutschland und den USA wird untersucht, wie die Erzählerinnen ihr Subjektsein narrativ verhandeln und damit personale Identität konstituieren. Die Analyse im methodologischen Rahmen der relationalen Hermeneutik rekonstruiert zwei Ebenen des Gegenstandes: Thematisch plausibilisieren die Erzählerinnen ihr Armsein entlang der Topoi Krankheit, Trennung, Kindheit und Schicksal. Strukturell sind ihre Erzählungen aufgespannt zwischen den Punkten Widerfahrnis und Handlung, Identifikation und Differenz, Zurechnung und Autonomie." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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Wimbauer, Christine & Mona Motakef (2020): Prekäre Arbeit, prekäre Liebe. Über Anerkennung und unsichere Lebensverhältnisse. Frankfurt am Main ; New York: Campus Verlag, 420 S.

Abstract

"Erwerbsarbeit und Paarbeziehungen sind wichtige Quellen für Anerkennung. Doch was geschieht, wenn Arbeit prekär wird? Wie wirken sich unsichere Arbeitsverhältnisse und Anerkennungsdefizite auf die Liebe aus, auf Beziehungen und auf die Lebenszusammenhänge der Menschen überhaupt? Welche Ungleichheiten zwischen den Geschlechtern werden sichtbar? Das Buch zeichnet anhand von Interviews eindrücklich nach, welch destruktives Potenzial prekäre Erwerbsarbeit entfalten kann und was das für die Einzelnen, für Paare und für die Gesellschaft bedeutet. Außerdem entwickeln die Autorinnen Vorschläge, wie sich auf prekäre Beschäftigung, Geschlechterungleichheiten sowie auf Anerkennungsbedürftigkeit und Verletzbarkeit reagieren lässt." (Textauszug, IAB-Doku)

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(2020): Prekäre Beschäftigung in verschiedenen Branchen und Regulierungsbedarf. Antwort der Bundesregierung auf die Kleine Anfrage der Abgeordneten und der Fraktion DIE LINKE (Drucksache 19/21766). (Verhandlungen des Deutschen Bundestages. Drucksachen 19/22801 (24.09.2020)), 21 S.

Abstract

Die Bundesregierung antwortet auf die Anfrage der Abgeordneten Susanne Ferschl, Matthias W. Birkwald, Sylvia Gabelmann, weiterer Abgeordneter und der Fraktion DIE LINKE zum Thema Prekäre Beschäftigung in verschiedenen Branchen und Regulierungsbedarf. (IAB-Doku)

Zitatform

Alacovska, Ana (2019): 'Keep hoping, keep going': Towards a hopeful sociology of creative work. In: The sociological review, Jg. 67, H. 5, S. 1118-1136. DOI:10.1177/0038026118779014

Abstract

"This article explores the relationship between future-oriented temporality and precarity in creative work. Existing sociological studies implicitly assume an unproblematic causal link between creative workers' future-orientation and their precarity, subjugation and exploitation. This article problematizes this link and offers a more nuanced reassessment of creative work's futurity by arguing for the analytical potential of the notion of hope in gaining a better understanding of creative workers' hopeful - affective, practical and moral - responses to conditions of protracted precarity. Building on theories of hope, the article conceptualizes hope both as an existential affective stance and an active moral practice oriented towards the present - an orientation that enables workers to keep going in spite of economic hardship and job uncertainty. From 'an atypical case' study of creative work in South-East Europe, hope emerges empirically as the central quotidian practice of coping with precarity. Three practices of hope are discussed: (1) hope as therapeutic practice; (2) hope as informal labour practice; and (3) hope as socially engaged arts practice. In so doing, the article explores the possibilities of practising 'a hopeful sociology' of creative work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Ba', Stefano (2019): The struggle to reconcile precarious work and parenthood. The case of Italian 'precarious parents'. In: Work, employment and society, Jg. 33, H. 5, S. 812-828. DOI:10.1177/0950017019843089

Abstract

"This research is about parents in precarious employment, as the intersection of parental responsibilities and paid work represents a privileged site from which to explore the process of precarisation within a wider social context. Social reproduction is then interrogated in order to conceptually frame parents' everyday struggles for stability. The dyad use-value and exchange-value is mobilised to make sense of parents' activities in the domestic sphere as well as in paid work, so that the outcome of this research marks a conceptual shift from the metaphor work - family balance to the tension between useful activities and the monetary valorisations that these parents need to obtain. The research suggests then that these parents produce social wealth at a number of different levels, but their activities need to meet their exchange-value because monetary valorisation represents the way to get their livelihood. This research aims to conceptualise the antagonism of 'precarious parents' as their 'normal life' is distorted by daily struggles to achieve these means." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Zitatform

Baumgartner, A. Doris & Beat Fux (Hrsg.) (2019): Sozialstaat unter Zugzwang? Zwischen Reform und radikaler Neuorientierung. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 439 S. DOI:10.1007/978-3-658-22444-8

Abstract

"Ohne Solidarität, Vergemeinschaftung und Sozialintegration ist der Wohlfahrtsstaat nicht überlebensfähig. Trotzdem bleiben die drei Elemente als grundlegende Konzepte der Sozialstaatsdebatte meist unterbeleuchtet. Expertinnen und Experten aus Sozial- und Politikwissenschaften untersuchen die sozialintegrative Dimension der Wohlfahrtsstaatlichkeit. Aus der Perspektive der Vergemeinschaftung behandeln sie die aktuelle wohlfahrtsstaatliche Theoriedebatte, analysieren Formen von Solidarität und setzen sich mit den spezifischen Problemlagen des modernen Wohlfahrtsstaates auseinander. Angesichts der Krisenhaftigkeit des Kernbereichs Arbeit interessiert insbesondere sein Reformvermögen. Präsentiert werden empirisch orientierte Beiträge zu Familie, Nachbarschaft und Solidarverbänden sowie theoretisch ausgerichteten Beiträgen zu aktuellen Problemlagen wie der Arbeit 4.0. Ferner werden Lösungsansätze in Form von "realutopischen" Perspektiven und Optionen diskutiert." (Verlagsangaben, © Springer)