Rise of Precarious Employment in Europe: Theoretical Perspectives, Reforms and Employment Trends in the Era of Economic Crisis

This book explores precarious employment in Europe during the economic crisis, drawing on theories and data from the European Labour Force Survey. It demonstrates how precarity has been linked to labor market reforms, reducing labor costs and promoting flexibility, but at the expense of high-quality jobs. The authors provide comparative evidence across EU countries.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 232 pages
\n Publication date: 14 January 2019
\n Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
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The decline in employment conditions for a growing number of workers in late capitalism has spurred researchers to explore ways to conceptualize and measure these observed new trends. This book examines precarious employment in Europe during the economic crisis, drawing on two primary sources: theories explaining how the financial and debt crisis, coupled with labor market reforms, exacerbated workforce precarity; and data from the European Labor Force Survey from 2005 to 2012, capturing various aspects of precarious employment. Additionally, it includes a comprehensive discussion of policy developments in several EU countries, aimed at demonstrating how precarity has been directly linked with specific labor market reforms implemented both before and after the crisis.

The authors conclude that the crisis and labor market reforms constitute significant pillars of the strategy used by states and employers to respond to the crisis and promote their competitiveness agenda. The reduction of labor costs and the promotion of greater flexibility are the ultimate goals of that strategy, but the side effects include an inability to provide high-quality jobs to a growing number of people, particularly young people. The authors also capture the extent of precarious employment, providing comparable evidence across EU countries.

\n Weight: 250g\n
Dimension: 129 x 197 x 13 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781787544888\n \n