Draw and explain the continuum of precariousness that we developed in class. Explain why this diagram may only apply to certain people. What would the continuum look like for a different group of people?
Below is class powerpoint. Part-time employment may correspond to life- style or poor business conditions (27%) Own-account self-employment could also be life- style or poor business conditions (26%) Casualization of employment in males under 25 or recent immigrants or visible minorities Analysis using the General Social Survey and the Labour Force Survey Workers have a widespread feeling of anxiety Part-time, temporary, self-employment and others are not fully covered by the existing labour legislation Many workers are earning less money, work too much or too little and have no control over their work Precarious employment is often gendered and racialized. Defining Non-standard and Contingent Employment In Canada part-time, temporary, seasonal, casual, temporary agency, own-account self-employment, and multiple job holders In the US the three definitions all focus on permanency In Canada non-standard employment grew in the early 1990s but has stabilized “Non-standard Employment” Does not Explain Conditions There are important nuances to precarious employment that are not covered by the generic term “non-standard” Use data to develop mutually exclusive categories Examine the dimensions of precarious employment to develop a continuum of precariousness Standard Employment One employer Full time Full year Employer’s premises Statutory benefits and entitlements Expects indefinite employment Evolution Standard employment evolved in the predominantly white male world of unionized employment for large centralized manufacturing “Non-standard” employment evolved in the world of the smaller decentralized service employers where there was predominantly female and immigrant workers As we move to more service employment, the standard model is adopted less often Non-standard Employment From “Good Jobs, Bad Jobs” (Economic Council of Canada) → observation that half of new employment in the 1980s was not traditional full-time Insecurity an essential aspect of non- standard work But nothing is done to assess the degree of precariousness of employment Non-standard Employment There are five non-standard employment types: Part-time employment Temporary employment Self-employment Multiple job holding Shift work How Common? Non-standard employment grew in the 1990s but has since stabilized Grew from 28% to 34% and continues to be around this figure (Fall 2003) But workers’ insecurities continue to grow, indicating “non-standard” employment does not fully capture precariousness Precarious Differences Occupational and income profile of temporary workers is different from self-employed workers Differences between self-employed workers who employ others and those who do not There is even broad income polarization between permanent full time workers, more precarious for some standard employees Dimensions of Precarious Employment The degree of certainty of continued employment Control over the labour process The degree of regulatory protection Income level Changes Overall non-standard employment stabilized in the 1990s The more precarious forms, own account self-employment and temporary employment, became more prevalent Overall, full-time permanent employment fell from 67% in 1989 to 63% in 2002 Gender Males are still more likely to have full-time permanent employment Most male self-employment is full-time and less precarious Females are over-represented in part-time employment for employees and self-employed Precarious employment is gendered towards females Other Dimensions of Precarious Employment Cross tab full-time permanent, full-time temporary, part-time permanent, and part- time temporary with Firm size, union status and hourly wage Indicators Firm size → regulatory protection Union status → control of the labour process Hourly wage → precarious employment (income) Continuum All dimensions move from highest full-time permanent, to full-time temporary, to part-time permanent, and the lowest part-time temporary. Regulatory protection – full-time workers are much less likely to labour in small firms Part-time permanent employees are much less likely to be covered by a union than part-time temporary employees Precarious Wage Work and Social Locations - Gender 19% of females are part-time permanent compared to 8% of men 11% of females are part-time temporary compared to 7% of men Males are more likely than females to be employed in full-time temporary wage work. Males are more likely (72%) to have full-time permanent work as compared to females (60%) Precarious Wage Work and Social Locations – Race White males are least likely to be employed in the most precarious part-time work Females of colour are less likely to have full-time permanent employment than their male counterparts But the difference between males and females in people of colour are less than in whites Variances between sub-groups of visible minorities Precarious Wage Work and Social Locations – Age The young are less likely to have full-time permanent wage work than the middle or older age age groups This likelihood has dropped considerably since the 1980s Young males are less likely to be involved in part-time permanent wage work Females across all ages are more likely to be involved in part- time permanent wage work Females are also more likely to be involved in part-time temporary wage work across all age categories, though the difference is small for youth Conclusion Precarious employment is a more revealing way to look at issues in employment conditions Non-standard employment growth was fuelled by own-account self-employment and full-time temporary wage work Full-time permanent wage work is still the majority of employment but is less common Males are more likely than females to secure full-time permanent wage work Conclusion (cont’d) Continuum → full-time permanent → full- time temporary → part-time permanent → part-time temporary Gender, race and age are all factors along the continuum