an article by Del Roy Fletcher (Sheffield Hallam University, UK) published in Journal of Poverty and Social Justice Volume 27 Number 3 (October 2019)
Abstract
A post-industrial ‘precariat’ has emerged characterised by social insecurity to which the state’s response has been to secure habituation to insecure labour.
This article provides new empirical evidence regarding how the precariat encounter and experience the reformed welfare delivery system. It seeks to explore theoretically whether the precariat is being ‘activated’ and/or ‘civilised’.
The author finds that the primary role of Jobcentre Plus is to assess whether the unemployed are ‘active’. This has been interpreted by Marxist scholars as a class disciplinary project which renders labour more dependent upon precarious work.
However, the evidence presented here suggests that an inappropriate white-collar model of support combined with sanctions frequently results in ill-discipline and disentitlement from benefits.
Furthermore, support cannot be conceptualised as a ‘civilising offensive’ because it is not a deliberate and targeted attempt at inculcating ‘civilised’ behaviour.
Moreover, rather than enforcing the norms of civilised behaviour it drives many into destitution and crime.
Full text (PDF 15pp)
Showing posts with label precariat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label precariat. Show all posts
Monday, 4 November 2019
Saturday, 5 October 2019
Understanding older worker precarity: the intersecting domains of jobs, households and the welfare state
an article by David Lain (Newcastle University Business School, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK), Laura Airey and Wendy Loretto (University of Edinburgh Business School, UK) and Sarah Vickerstaff (University of Kent, Canterbury, UK) published in Ageing & Society Volume 39 Issue 10 (October 2019)
Abstract
In policy debates it is commonly claimed that older workers are entering a period of choice and control. In contrast, Guy Standing's book The Precariat: The Dangerous New Class, published in 2011, argues that older people are increasingly joining the ‘precariat’, by taking low-level jobs to supplement dwindling pension incomes.
We argue that many older workers, not just those in ‘precarious jobs’, feel a sense of ‘ontological precarity’. Pressures to work longer, combined with limited alternative employment prospects and inadequate retirement incomes, give rise to a heightened sense of precarity.
We develop a new theoretical model for understanding precarity as a lived experience, which is influenced by the intersection between precarious jobs, precarious welfare states and precarious households.
This model is then illustrated using qualitative research from two organisations in the United Kingdom: ‘Local Government’ and ‘Hospitality’. In both organisations, older workers experienced a sense of ontological precarity because they worried about the long-term sustainability of their jobs and saw limited alternative sources of retirement income. Household circumstances either reinforced interviewees’ sense of precarity, or acted as a buffer against it. This was particularly important for women, as they typically accrued smaller financial resources in their own right.
Our concluding discussion builds on this more advanced theoretical understanding of older worker precarity to call for a rethinking of state and employer support for decisions around later-life working and retirement.
Full text (PDF 23pp)
Abstract
In policy debates it is commonly claimed that older workers are entering a period of choice and control. In contrast, Guy Standing's book The Precariat: The Dangerous New Class, published in 2011, argues that older people are increasingly joining the ‘precariat’, by taking low-level jobs to supplement dwindling pension incomes.
We argue that many older workers, not just those in ‘precarious jobs’, feel a sense of ‘ontological precarity’. Pressures to work longer, combined with limited alternative employment prospects and inadequate retirement incomes, give rise to a heightened sense of precarity.
We develop a new theoretical model for understanding precarity as a lived experience, which is influenced by the intersection between precarious jobs, precarious welfare states and precarious households.
This model is then illustrated using qualitative research from two organisations in the United Kingdom: ‘Local Government’ and ‘Hospitality’. In both organisations, older workers experienced a sense of ontological precarity because they worried about the long-term sustainability of their jobs and saw limited alternative sources of retirement income. Household circumstances either reinforced interviewees’ sense of precarity, or acted as a buffer against it. This was particularly important for women, as they typically accrued smaller financial resources in their own right.
Our concluding discussion builds on this more advanced theoretical understanding of older worker precarity to call for a rethinking of state and employer support for decisions around later-life working and retirement.
Full text (PDF 23pp)
Thursday, 30 August 2018
Low-pay sectors, earnings mobility and economic policy in the UK
an article by Neil Lee (London School of Economics and Political Science, UK), Anne Green (University of Birmingham, UK) and Paul Sissons (Coventry University, UK) published in Policy & Politics Volume 46 Number 3 (July 2018)
Abstract
Low pay is a significant and growing issue in many developed economies. Sectoral approaches are often used in both economic development and labour market policy, yet there is little evidence on how low pay and earnings mobility vary by sector.
This article investigates this issue in the UK.
It shows pronounced sectoral variations in low pay and earnings mobility. It highlights the policy implications of growth in large, low paying sectors. While policymakers have focused on high-wage, high-skill sectors, efforts to improve productivity in low-wage sectors could improve living standards and the UK's economic performance.
Full text (PDF 23pp)
Abstract
Low pay is a significant and growing issue in many developed economies. Sectoral approaches are often used in both economic development and labour market policy, yet there is little evidence on how low pay and earnings mobility vary by sector.
This article investigates this issue in the UK.
It shows pronounced sectoral variations in low pay and earnings mobility. It highlights the policy implications of growth in large, low paying sectors. While policymakers have focused on high-wage, high-skill sectors, efforts to improve productivity in low-wage sectors could improve living standards and the UK's economic performance.
Full text (PDF 23pp)
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