The Activating Welfare State and Precarisation: a Temporal Analysis of the Perceived Unemployment Risk in Switzerland, 1999–2019

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 precarisation 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 aspect of precarisation in the labour market – utilising 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.