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The Precariat Class Structure and Income Inequality among US Workers: 1980–2018

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  • Joshua Greenstein

Abstract

I apply the precariat class schema developed by Standing to the US workforce to illustrate an increased polarization between those who do and do not have quality jobs from 1980 to 2018. I use a decomposition of inequality to show that the precariat class structure explains a substantial and growing portion of income inequality. The precariat is typified by unstable, short-term, part-time, and benefit-free jobs. I find that that the precariat make up a large and growing share of the US workforce, while the “old†working class shrank precipitously. I also show that the demographics of the precariat and the old working class are substantially different in terms of race and gender.

Suggested Citation

  • Joshua Greenstein, 2020. "The Precariat Class Structure and Income Inequality among US Workers: 1980–2018," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 52(3), pages 447-469, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:reorpe:v:52:y:2020:i:3:p:447-469
    DOI: 10.1177/0486613420919250
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Peter Flaschel & Sigrid Luchtenberg & Hagen Kramer & Christian Proano & Mark Setterfield, 2021. "Contemporary Macroeconomic Outcomes: A Tragedy in Three Acts," Working Papers 2105, New School for Social Research, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Economic class; precarious labor; inequality; distribution; structural change;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B59 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Other
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J42 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Monopsony; Segmented Labor Markets
    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements

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