The Challenge of Precarious Work in the 21st Century

Precarious work-work that is insecure and uncertain, often low-paying, and in which the risks of work are shifted from employers and the government to individual workers has emerged as a central challenge for workers, organizations, and government in the 21st century. This essay, which is based on my recent book, Precarious Lives (2018), summarizes the recent rise and consequences of precarious work in six rich democracies: Denmark, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. We discuss how differences in these countries’ labor market institutions and policies (such as unions and collective bargaining, active labor market policies and employment protections) and social welfare policies (such unemployment insurance and the generosity of other welfare benefits) shaped peoples’ experiences of job and economic insecurity, transitions to adulthood, and subjective well-being. We also outline the elements of a new political and social contract that is needed to address the negative consequences of precarious work for individuals and their families. Such a new social contract must maintain flexibility for employers yet still provide individuals with ways to cope with the negative consequences produced by such flexibility.