The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on the economy, with millions losing their jobs and millions more placed in highly precarious situations.  As with so much, however, a new study from the University of Illinois Chicago highlights that the precarious nature of the labor market is largely a continuation of a pre-existing trend rather than something brought about specifically by the pandemic.

The study finds that precarious employment has risen by 9% between 1988 and 2016, with these jobs characterized by job insecurity, irregular hours, and low wages.

Precarious work

The researchers say that previous analyzes of precarious work have focused on things like union membership, wages, and hours worked.  For this new study, they expanded this to also examine the non-wage benefits provided by employment, working-time arrangements, workers’ rights, employment stability, interpersonal relations, and training opportunities.

They were especially keen to view employment through this broad lens because of the crucial role employment quality plays in our life, and especially in our health.  Poor and insufficient income is strongly linked to compromised access to food, greater exposure to adverse working conditions, and limited control over our lives, which raises stress levels.

“Importantly, poor employment quality may be contributing to widening health inequities, as women, people with lower education levels, and minorities have a higher prevalence of precarious employment,” the researchers explain.

Uneven uncertainty

There exists a clear divide in the distribution of precarious work, with women, people with lower levels of education, and people of color far more likely to suffer from it.  What’s more, the data suggest that this inequality across society is widening rather than narrowing.

The biggest increase in precarious work, however, was found among men, those with college educations, and even those with higher incomes.

“These results suggest long-term decreases in employment quality are widespread in the U.S., rather than just confined to marginalized segments of the labor market,” the researchers explain.

The researchers suggest that this could be because the proportion of these groups in precarious employment at the start of the study was so low, which therefore leaves more room for the number to grow over time.  There is also a general trend towards lower levels of union membership, which may also play a part.

Increasing awareness

The researchers believe that the very notion of precarious work has been studied more intently since the financial crisis of 2008.  This triggered a worsening of employment quality and a shift towards contract work and the gig economy.  It’s a trend that is likely to be exacerbated by the pandemic.

They hope that their holistic approach to studying precarious work inspires other researchers and indeed helps to inform policy decisions around employment.

With the emergence of society from the pandemic so fraught with uncertainty, our ability to understand precarious work, its causes, and its implications, are likely to be crucial to attempts to ensure that this recovery is one that benefits all members of society.