Precarious work: A global perspective Shin, Kwang‐Yeong; Kalleberg, Arne L.; Hewison, Kevin
Sociology compass,
December 2023, 2023-12-00, 20231201, Letnik:
17, Številka:
12
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Precarious work is universal, though its forms and consequences vary across countries due to institutional, cultural, and historical differences. This article reviews recent research on precarious ...work from a global perspective, emphasizing the comparative and interdisciplinary research needed for a comprehensive understanding of the structural transformations in contemporary capitalism that promote precarious work. The article has three foci. First, research that details the diverse forms of precarious work, which have become increasingly heterogeneous as national labor markets have been interwoven with global production networks. Second, research on precarious work that emphasizes its disparate impacts for women, youth, the elderly, racial and ethnic minority groups, and migrants, revealing an articulation of precarity and social cleavages. Third, research on the politics associated with precarious work and how some precarious workers have successfully organized and mobilized their interests, such as by unionizing and becoming involved in electoral politics. Still, questions remain regarding precarious work: how precarious workers differ from regular workers in representing their interests and demands and whether precarious workers are a new, independent social class or remain part of a changing working class. Finally, topics for future research on the global dimensions of precarious work are discussed.
Precarious work (i.e., work that is insecure and uncertain, often low-paying, and in which the risks of work are shifted from employers and the government to workers) has emerged as a serious concern ...for individuals and families and underlies many of the insecurities that have fueled recent populist political movements. The impacts of precarious work differ among countries depending on their labor market and welfare system institutions, laws and policies, and cultural factors. This article examines how people in six advanced industrial countries representing different welfare and employment regimes-Denmark, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States-differ both in their experience of precarious work and in outcomes of precarious work such as job and economic insecurity, entry into the labor force, and subjective well-being. It also suggests a new social and political contract needed to address precarious work and its consequences.
Employees of professional service firms (PSFs) have attachments to multiple groups, which may be either compatible or conflicting: their employer, their clients and their profession. We analyse the ...antecedents of commitment to these three foci based on a survey of 510 employees in a large PSF in Norway. The main findings are as follows: (1) low quality of internal work relations is negatively associated with employer commitment and draws employees towards external foci of commitment – the clients and the profession; (2) role conflict is associated with stronger commitment to the client organisation and the profession; and (3) autonomy and transferability of skills are associated with stronger commitment to the profession, but does not undermine commitment to the employer. The article contributes to our understanding of the conditions under which employees identify with external groups and when commitment to the employer may be compromised. The findings have implications for how managers can help to increase the commitment of employees involved in complex employment relations.
Cet article traite de l'évolution des grandes thématiques de la sociologie du travail aux Etats-Unis depuis la Seconde Guerre mondiale. La définition large que nous donnons de la sociologie du ...travail est l'étude de l’emploi et des organisations, ainsi que de leurs liens avec la stratification sociale et les inégalités, l'économie politique et le pouvoir des travailleurs, entre autres sujets. Nous avons identifié huit thématiques principales : l'organisation du travail et le procès du travail ; les marchés du travail et la mobilité professionnelle ; les professions et les activités de travail ; les relations d'emploi ; le sens du travail ; les syndicats et le pouvoir des travailleurs ; la stratification et les inégalités sur le lieu de travail et la diversité de la main-d'œuvre. Pour chacun de ses thèmes, nous proposons une synthèse des problèmes, questions et recherches qui ont permis d’éclairer les différentes facettes du travail aux États-Unis. Ces thématiques continueront probablement à structurer la sociologie du travail aux États-Unis dans les années à venir.
Research on the consequences for employees of opportunities to participate in decision-making (defined here as having autonomy and being able to consult in organizational decisions and to work in ...teams) has produced inconsistent results. Some writers argue that worker participation is a good thing for workers, since they are able to make decisions and develop skills. Others, especially those in the critical management tradition, regard workers' opportunities to participate in decisions as another form of exploitation that results in increased work intensity, more ambiguity and greater stress. In this article, we examine the consequences of Norwegian workers' participation in decisions on job stress — both directly and through their effect on skill development, workload, support and ambiguity. We find that autonomy and consultation in decisions reduce job stress, while teamwork increase job stress.
The paper discusses changes in the United States’ main sociology of work themes since World War II. The discipline is broadly conceptualised here as a study of jobs and organisations and of their ...linkage, inter alia, to social stratification and inequality, economic policy and worker power. We identify eight main themes: work organisation and the labour process; labour markets and professional mobility; professions and professional work; employment relations; the meaning of work; unions and worker power; workplace stratification and inequality; and workforce diversity. For each theme, a summary is offered encapsulating the main issues, research questions and studies, all revealing important aspects of work in the United States. These themes are likely to remain important to the sociology of work in the United States for years to come.
Recently, researchers have begun to recognize that the nature of jobs, the workplace environment, and more generally, the culture of the workplace can have a significant impact on the ability of ...workers to balance their work and family lives. This article examines the effect of high‐performance work practices, job characteristics, and the work environment on workers’ views about whether the company helps them balance work and family. Using data from a survey of workers across three manufacturing industries, we show that a high‐commitment environment—characterized by high‐performance work practices, intrinsically rewarding jobs, and understanding supervisors—positively influences employees’ perceptions that the company is helping them achieve this balance. This article reinforces the view that helping workers balance work and family responsibilities is not just a matter of benefits and formal family‐friendly policies. Rather, it also depends on the characteristics of jobs within the business enterprise.
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