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Living with uncertain work

Author

Listed:
  • Jason Heyes
  • Sian Moore
  • Kirsty Newsome
  • Mark Tomlinson

Abstract

This article examines the different forms of uncertainty that workers in precarious jobs experience on a day‐to‐day basis. The article highlights the various ways in which uncertainty at work spills over into workers' lives away from the workplace and provides a representative and up‐to‐date comparison of the experiences of workers in permanent, fixed‐term and casual forms of employment. The article achieves its objectives through a mixed‐methods research design comprising an analysis of data from the Understanding Society survey and interviews with workers in the retail, higher education, logistics and social care sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Jason Heyes & Sian Moore & Kirsty Newsome & Mark Tomlinson, 2018. "Living with uncertain work," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(5-6), pages 420-437, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:indrel:v:49:y:2018:i:5-6:p:420-437
    DOI: 10.1111/irj.12231
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Green, Francis, 2013. "Skills and Skilled Work: An Economic and Social Analysis," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199642854.
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    5. David N.F. Bell & David G. Blanchflower, 2018. "Underemployment and the Lack of Wage Pressure in the UK," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 243(1), pages 53-61, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mark Williams & Senhu Wang & Maria Koumenta, 2024. "Ethnicity disparities in job control in the United Kingdom," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(1), pages 33-53, January.
    2. Beate Elstad & Erik Døving & Dag Jansson, 2022. "Precariousness during an ongoing crisis. Cultural workers and the corona pandemic," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(5), pages 466-483, September.
    3. Edward Yates & Ian Clark & William Rossiter, 2021. "Local economic governance strategies in the UK’s post-industrial cities and the challenges of improving local work and employment conditions," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 36(2), pages 115-132, March.
    4. Minjie Cai & Scott Tindal & Safak Tartanoglu Bennett & Jay Velu, 2021. "‘It’s Like a War Zone’: Jay’s Liminal Experience of Normal and Extreme Work in a UK Supermarket during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 35(2), pages 386-395, April.
    5. Pedro Mendonça, 2020. "Trade union responses to precarious employment: the role of power resources in defending precarious flight attendants at Ryanair," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 26(4), pages 431-445, November.
    6. Magnus Klofsten & Ellen MacEachen & Christian Ståhl, 2021. "New and small firms in a modern working life: how do we make entrepreneurship healthy?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 755-763, August.

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