Much has been written about the changing nature of work, and the impact this is having on our mental wellbeing. Advocates of things like the gig economy argue that the autonomy and freedom are making people happier, whereas critics believe that the uncertain nature of work is leading to stress and unhappiness.
A new study from HSE University attempts to get to the bottom of the matter by looking at satisfaction levels across the European workforce.
Their analysis revealed a number of interesting findings. For instance, 72% of those with a permanent job contract regard it as stable, which is significantly higher than those with either temporary or informal work arrangements, which scored just 56% and 44% respectively.
Those in temporary work arrangements also often earned lower income than their salaried peers, and suffered from poorer career growth. They also found it harder to access social care, and cited the risk of social isolation alongside poor social mobility as a clear and present danger of such work.
Declining mood
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this has a negative impact on the wellbeing of temporary workers, who report lower levels of ‘subjective wellbeing’ than their salaried peers.
The data emerged from the European Social Survey, which is held annually across 27 European countries. The period from 2004 to 2010 had a specific section on one’s employment characteristics.
An interesting finding was the correlation between levels of employment protection and the number of people in temporary or informal roles. The data suggests that countries with strict employment protection legislation have higher numbers of temporary workers, because it’s so costly to hire permanent employees, so temporary engagements are far more attractive.
These countries also have a lower number of vacancies, which makes it hard for either unemployed or new entrants to the job market to find work. What’s more, their struggles can often endure for a prolonged period of time.
“The possibility of losing a job does not seem so horrible; the boundaries between attitudes to temporary and permanent employment blur, since no one is guaranteed from being fired. At the same time, they can find a new job quickly and painlessly,” the researchers explain.
This led to a reduction in happiness and life satisfaction, as those in temporary roles were largely unable to progress to permanent positions.
The study is a nice reminder that not only is the picture around temporary workers quite nuanced, but that the wider employment environment plays a big role in the adoption of temporary positions across the labor market.
