Under my umbrella? Gig workers' perspectives on career sustainability as employees in Swedish umbrella companies

IF 5.2 1区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, APPLIED

Journal of Vocational Behavior Pub Date : 2025-10-03 DOI:10.1016/j.jvb.2025.104182

Franziska Müller , Linda Weidenstedt , Claudia Bernhard-Oettel , Constanze Eib

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The rise of non-standard work arrangements has increased the need for research on career sustainability within these contexts, yet insights remain limited. In this study, we explore how gig workers employed by so-called umbrella companies understand and navigate their seemingly contradictory work arrangement. Building on the framework of sustainable careers, we conducted a reflexive thematic analysis with gig workers employed by Swedish umbrella companies. Results challenge the common portrayal of gig work as inherently precarious, as workers found ways to create a meaningful and sustainable career sequence. Participants perceived umbrella companies as enabling hyper-flexibility and hyper-individualization, thereby enhancing their person-career fit. However, they also acknowledged the limitations and potential societal challenges of this work model. We discuss how the sustainable career framework can capture the complexity of how employed gig workers made sense of their careers.

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在我的伞下？瑞典伞形公司员工对零工职业可持续性的看法

非标准工作安排的兴起增加了对这些背景下职业可持续性研究的需求，但见解仍然有限。在这项研究中，我们探讨了所谓的保护伞公司雇佣的零工工人如何理解和驾驭他们看似矛盾的工作安排。在可持续职业框架的基础上，我们对瑞典伞形公司雇用的零工工人进行了反思性主题分析。研究结果挑战了人们对零工本质上不稳定的普遍看法，因为工人们找到了创造有意义和可持续的职业序列的方法。参与者认为伞形公司能够实现高度的灵活性和高度的个性化，从而提高他们个人与职业的契合度。然而，他们也承认这种工作模式的局限性和潜在的社会挑战。我们讨论了可持续的职业框架如何能够捕捉到受雇的零工如何理解其职业的复杂性。

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来源期刊

Journal of Vocational Behavior PSYCHOLOGY, APPLIED-

CiteScore

13.10

自引率

5.40%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Journal of Vocational Behavior publishes original empirical and theoretical articles offering unique insights into the realms of career choice, career development, and work adjustment across the lifespan. These contributions are not only valuable for academic exploration but also find applications in counseling and career development programs across diverse sectors such as colleges, universities, business, industry, government, and the military. The primary focus of the journal centers on individual decision-making regarding work and careers, prioritizing investigations into personal career choices rather than organizational or employer-level variables. Example topics encompass a broad range, from initial career choices (e.g., choice of major, initial work or organization selection, organizational attraction) to the development of a career, work transitions, work-family management, and attitudes within the workplace (such as work commitment, multiple role management, and turnover).