IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/socsci/v102y2021i5p2394-2411.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Job precarity and economic prospects during the COVID‐19 public health crisis

Author

Listed:
  • Wen‐Jui Han
  • Jake Hart

Abstract

Objective As labor markets in recent decades have become increasingly volatile and precarious, more workers are susceptible to working conditions threatening their economic security. COVID‐19 has further laid bare such economic insecurity from holding a precarious job. We examined the association between precarious employment and the probability of losing income or a job during COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods A multivariate regression analysis was conducted using a cross‐sectional data set collected in May 2020 in the United States. Results Our results confirm a strong positive association between precarious employment and losing work or income. Specifically, holding part‐time work in the service sector, and feeling disempowered in the workplace, receiving low material rewards, having few benefits, and experiencing obstacles in exercising rights all significantly doubled the probability of losing income or jobs. Conclusion Our analysis underscores the increasing vulnerability faced by our workforce and how a public health crisis magnifies the dire consequences of a precarious job.

Suggested Citation

  • Wen‐Jui Han & Jake Hart, 2021. "Job precarity and economic prospects during the COVID‐19 public health crisis," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(5), pages 2394-2411, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:102:y:2021:i:5:p:2394-2411
    DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.13031
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.13031
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/ssqu.13031?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Huang, J. & Birkenmaier, J. & Kim, Y., 2014. "Job loss and unmet health care needs in the economic recession: Different associations by family income," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(11), pages 178-183.
    2. Henry S. Farber, 2010. "Job Loss and the Decline in Job Security in the United States," NBER Chapters, in: Labor in the New Economy, pages 223-262, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Henry S. Farber, 2017. "Employment, Hours, and Earnings Consequences of Job Loss: US Evidence from the Displaced Workers Survey," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 35(S1), pages 235-272.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Giorgos Gouzoulis & Panagiotis (Takis) Iliopoulos & Giorgos Galanis, 2023. "Financialisation, Underemployment, & the Disconnected Greek Capitalism," Working Papers 112, Queen Mary, University of London, School of Business and Management, Centre for Globalisation Research.
    2. Muchen Luo & Yimin Wu, 2022. "Data-Driven Evaluation and Optimisation of Livelihood Improvement Efficiency," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-24, July.
    3. Giorgos Gouzoulis & Panagiotis (Takis) Iliopoulos & Giorgos Galanis, 2023. "Financialization and the rise of atypical work," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(1), pages 24-45, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Charles L. Baum, 2022. "Seven jobs in a lifetime? An analysis of employee tenure," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 60(2), pages 543-567, April.
    2. Martti Kaila & Emily Nix & Krista Riukula, 2021. "Disparate Impacts of Job Loss by Parental Income and Implications for Intergenerational Mobility," Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute Working Papers 53, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
    3. Borowczyk-Martins, Daniel & Lalé, Etienne, 2020. "The ins and outs of involuntary part-time employment," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    4. Lambert, Thomas, 2024. "Displaced Worker Angst and Far Right Populism," MPRA Paper 120483, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Daniel Borowczyk-Martins & Etienne Lalé, 2016. "The Rise of Part-time Employment," SciencePo Working papers hal-01311976, HAL.
    6. Iris Kesternich & Bettina Siflinger & James P. Smith & Franziska Valder, 2022. "Relationship Stability: Evidence from Labor and Marriage Markets," CEBI working paper series 22-20, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. The Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality (CEBI).
    7. Goos, Maarten & Rademakers, Emilie & Röttger, Ronja, 2021. "Routine-Biased technical change: Individual-Level evidence from a plant closure," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(7).
    8. Achim D. Schmillen, 2020. "Causes and Impacts of Job Displacements and Public Policy Responses," World Bank Publications - Reports 33720, The World Bank Group.
    9. Marta Lachowska & Alexandre Mas & Stephen A. Woodbury, 2019. "Sources of Displaced Workers’ Long-Term Earnings Losses," Working Papers 631, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    10. Xavier ST‐DENIS, 2021. "The changing importance of lifetime jobs in the United Kingdom," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 160(2), pages 243-269, June.
    11. Paweł Charasz & Jan P Vogler, 2021. "Does EU funding improve local state capacity? Evidence from Polish municipalities," European Union Politics, , vol. 22(3), pages 446-471, September.
    12. Andriy Zapechelnyuk & Ro’i Zultan, 2020. "Job search costs and incentives," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 8(2), pages 181-202, October.
    13. Hülya Eraslan & Gizem Koşar & Wenli Li & Pierre‐Daniel Sarte, 2017. "An Anatomy Of U.S. Personal Bankruptcy Under Chapter 13," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 58(3), pages 671-702, August.
    14. Raven Molloy & Christopher L. Smith & Abigail Wozniak, 2024. "Changing Stability in U.S. Employment Relationships: A Tale of Two Tails," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 59(1), pages 35-69.
    15. Henry S. Farber & Chris M. Herbst & Dan Silverman & Till von Wachter, 2018. "Whom Do Employers Want? The Role of Recent Employment and Unemployment Status and Age," Working Papers 619, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    16. Alan S. Blinder & Alan B. Krueger, 2013. "Alternative Measures of Offshorability: A Survey Approach," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 31(S1), pages 97-128.
    17. Dobbelaere, Sabien & McCormack, Grace & Prinz, Daniel & Sovago, Sandor, 2022. "Firm Consolidation and Labor Market Outcomes," IZA Discussion Papers 15724, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Luc Behaghel & Julie Moschion, 2011. "Skilled labor supply, IT-based technical change and job instability," Working Papers halshs-00646595, HAL.
    19. Davidson, Carl & Heyman, Fredrik & Matusz, Steven & Sjöholm, Fredrik & Zhu, Susan Chun, 2020. "Globalization, the jobs ladder and economic mobility," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    20. Abhir Kulkarni & Barry T. Hirsch, 2021. "Revisiting Union Wage and Job Loss Effects Using the Displaced Worker Surveys," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 74(4), pages 948-976, August.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:102:y:2021:i:5:p:2394-2411. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0038-4941 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.