Employment Precarity, COVID-19 Risk, and Workers' Well-Being During the Pandemic in Europe. Issue 2 (May 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wu, Qiong (Miranda)
• Other Names: Mai Quan D. guest-editor.; Song Lijun guest-editor.; Donnelly Rachel guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Work and occupations. Volume 50:Issue 2(2023)
• Page Start: 188
• Page End: 211
• Publication Date: 2023-05
• Subjects: employment precarity -- precarious employment -- precariousness -- COVID-19 -- mental well-being -- subjective well-being -- job insecurity; Occupations -- Periodicals; Professions -- Periodicals; 306.36
• DOI: 10.1177/07308884221126415
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0730-8884

Abstract

The COVID-19 crisis highlights a growing precarity in employment and the importance of employment for workers' well-being. Existing studies primarily examine the consequences of employment precarity through non-standard employment arrangements or the perception of job insecurity as a one-dimensional measure. Recent scholars advocate a multidimensional construct with a wide range of objective and subjective characteristics of precariousness. Using data from Eurofound's Living, Working, and COVID-19 surveys, I define employment precarity as the objective form of employment instability, as well as subjective terms of job insecurity and emotional precariousness. I also investigate whether and how various facets of employment precarity along with COVID-19 risk are associated with workers' mental and subjective well-being across 27 European Union member states during the pandemic. This study sheds light on a comprehensive understanding of objective and subjective dimensions of employment precarity, as well as their effects on workers' well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.