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Precarious work and intrinsic job quality: Evidence from Finland, 1984–2013

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  • Pasi Pyöriä
  • Satu Ojala

Abstract

It is often argued that job insecurity and precarious work are on the rise. However, the evidence to back these arguments remains mixed and inconclusive. In this study, we define and measure precarious work in Finland using five variables that reflect both objective and subjective insecurity: atypical employment, actually experienced unemployment, the threat of dismissal or unemployment, poor chances of finding a new job, and low earnings. Results based on Statistics Finland’s Quality of Work Life Surveys from 1984 to 2013 indicate that, from a labour market or forms of employment perspective, the proportion of precarious wage earners has increased from 11% in 1984 to 13% in 2013. From a second perspective, however, focusing on changing working conditions, growing inequality and eroding social security mechanisms, we also analyse how a precarious labour market position is related to intrinsic job quality. Precarious workers experience decreased levels of skill and discretion, and they work in a less supportive environment than other employees.

Suggested Citation

  • Pasi Pyöriä & Satu Ojala, 2016. "Precarious work and intrinsic job quality: Evidence from Finland, 1984–2013," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 27(3), pages 349-367, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecolab:v:27:y:2016:i:3:p:349-367
    DOI: 10.1177/1035304616659190
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Miikka Rokkanen & Roope Uusitalo, 2013. "Changes in Job Stability – Evidence from Lifetime Job Histories," Finnish Economic Papers, Finnish Economic Association, vol. 26(2), pages 36-55, Autumn.
    2. Siegrist, Johannes & Starke, Dagmar & Chandola, Tarani & Godin, Isabelle & Marmot, Michael & Niedhammer, Isabelle & Peter, Richard, 2004. "The measurement of effort-reward imbalance at work: European comparisons," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(8), pages 1483-1499, April.
    3. Merja Kauhanen & Jouko Nätti, 2015. "Involuntary Temporary and Part-Time Work, Job Quality and Well-Being at Work," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 120(3), pages 783-799, February.
    4. Satu Ojala & Pasi Pyöriä, 2015. "Working around the clock? - The time and location of paid work in Finland 1979-2010," electronic International Journal of Time Use Research, Research Institute on Professions (Forschungsinstitut Freie Berufe (FFB)) and The International Association for Time Use Research (IATUR), vol. 12(1), pages 73-96, December.
    5. Martin Olsthoorn, 2014. "Measuring Precarious Employment: A Proposal for Two Indicators of Precarious Employment Based on Set-Theory and Tested with Dutch Labor Market-Data," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 119(1), pages 421-441, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pasi Pyöriä & Satu Ojala & Tiina Saari & Katri-Maria Järvinen, 2017. "The Millennial Generation," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(1), pages 21582440176, March.
    2. Merita Jokela, 2018. "Patterns of Precarious Employment in a Female-Dominated Sector in Five Affluent Countries - The Case of Paid Domestic Labor Sector in Five Welfare States," LIS Working papers 746, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    3. Wayne Lewchuk, 2017. "Precarious jobs: Where are they, and how do they affect well-being?," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 28(3), pages 402-419, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Atypical employment; job insecurity; job quality; precarious work; qualifications; skills; unemployment; work intensity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions

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