Experiences of insecurity among non-standard workers across different welfare states : A qualitative cross-country study
(2023) In Social Science and Medicine 327.- Abstract
In recent decades, economic crises and political reforms focused on employment flexibilization have increased the use of non-standard employment (NSE). National political and economic contexts determine how employers interact with labour and how the state interacts with labour markets and manages social welfare policies. These factors influence the prevalence of NSE and the level of employment insecurity it creates, but the extent to which a country's policy context mitigates the health influences of NSE is unclear. This study describes how workers experience insecurities created by NSE, and how this influences their health and well-being, in countries with different welfare states: Belgium, Canada, Chile, Spain, Sweden, and the United... (More)
In recent decades, economic crises and political reforms focused on employment flexibilization have increased the use of non-standard employment (NSE). National political and economic contexts determine how employers interact with labour and how the state interacts with labour markets and manages social welfare policies. These factors influence the prevalence of NSE and the level of employment insecurity it creates, but the extent to which a country's policy context mitigates the health influences of NSE is unclear. This study describes how workers experience insecurities created by NSE, and how this influences their health and well-being, in countries with different welfare states: Belgium, Canada, Chile, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Interviews with 250 workers in NSE were analysed using a multiple-case study approach. Workers in all countries experienced multiple insecurities (e.g., income and employment insecurity) and relational tension with employers/clients, with negative health and well-being influences, in ways that were shaped by social inequalities (e.g., related to family support or immigration status). Welfare state differences were reflected in the level of workers' exclusion from social protections, the time scale of their insecurity (threatening daily survival or longer-term life planning), and their ability to derive a sense of control from NSE. Workers in Belgium, Sweden, and Spain, countries with more generous welfare states, navigated these insecurities with greater success and with less influence on health and well-being. Findings contribute to our understanding of the health and well-being influences of NSE across different welfare regimes and suggest the need in all six countries for stronger state responses to NSE. Increased investment in universal and more equal rights and benefits in NSE could reduce the widening gap between standard and NSE.
(Less)
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Health, Insecurity, Non-standard employment, Qualitative research, Welfare states, Well-being
- in
- Social Science and Medicine
- volume
- 327
- article number
- 115970
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:37210981
- scopus:85159549412
- ISSN
- 0277-9536
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115970
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 64f4683e-e605-4e86-ab7b-f72ef6943f76
- date added to LUP
- 2023-08-21 14:44:18
- date last changed
- 2024-04-20 01:08:51
@article{64f4683e-e605-4e86-ab7b-f72ef6943f76,
abstract = {{<p>In recent decades, economic crises and political reforms focused on employment flexibilization have increased the use of non-standard employment (NSE). National political and economic contexts determine how employers interact with labour and how the state interacts with labour markets and manages social welfare policies. These factors influence the prevalence of NSE and the level of employment insecurity it creates, but the extent to which a country's policy context mitigates the health influences of NSE is unclear. This study describes how workers experience insecurities created by NSE, and how this influences their health and well-being, in countries with different welfare states: Belgium, Canada, Chile, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Interviews with 250 workers in NSE were analysed using a multiple-case study approach. Workers in all countries experienced multiple insecurities (e.g., income and employment insecurity) and relational tension with employers/clients, with negative health and well-being influences, in ways that were shaped by social inequalities (e.g., related to family support or immigration status). Welfare state differences were reflected in the level of workers' exclusion from social protections, the time scale of their insecurity (threatening daily survival or longer-term life planning), and their ability to derive a sense of control from NSE. Workers in Belgium, Sweden, and Spain, countries with more generous welfare states, navigated these insecurities with greater success and with less influence on health and well-being. Findings contribute to our understanding of the health and well-being influences of NSE across different welfare regimes and suggest the need in all six countries for stronger state responses to NSE. Increased investment in universal and more equal rights and benefits in NSE could reduce the widening gap between standard and NSE.</p>}},
author = {{Bosmans, Kim and Vignola, Emilia F. and Álvarez-López, Valentina and Julià, Mireia and Ahonen, Emily Q. and Bolíbar, Mireia and Gutiérrez-Zamora, Mariana and Ivarsson, Lars and Kvart, Signild and Muntaner, Carles and O'Campo, Patricia and Ruiz, Marisol E. and Vänerhagen, Kristian and Cuervo, Isabel and Davis, Letitia and Diaz, Ignacio and Escrig-Piñol, Astrid and Gunn, Virginia and Lewchuk, Wayne and Östergren, Per Olof and Padrosa, Eva and Vílchez, David and Vives, Alejandra and Vos, Mattias and Zaupa, Alessandro and Bodin, Theo and Baron, Sherry L.}},
issn = {{0277-9536}},
keywords = {{Health; Insecurity; Non-standard employment; Qualitative research; Welfare states; Well-being}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Social Science and Medicine}},
title = {{Experiences of insecurity among non-standard workers across different welfare states : A qualitative cross-country study}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115970}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115970}},
volume = {{327}},
year = {{2023}},
}