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Is Any Job Better Than No Job? Utilising Jahoda’s Latent Deprivation Theory to Reconceptualise Underemployment

Author

Listed:
  • Vanessa Beck

    (University of Bristol, UK)

  • Tracey Warren

    (University of Nottingham, UK)

  • Clare Lyonette

    (University of Warwick, UK)

Abstract

Underemployment is a widely discussed but complex concept. This article progresses discussions and provides a new sociological conceptualisation. It builds on a classic theory of unemployment, Jahoda et al.’s ‘latent deprivation theory’ (LDT), that identified five ‘latent functions’ provided by jobs, besides a wage: time structure, social relations, sense of purpose/achievement, personal identity and regular activity. LDT was ground-breaking in illuminating previously hidden injuries of joblessness. This article proposes that LDT can be similarly ground-breaking for reconceptualising underemployment: it demonstrates conceptually the multiple ways in which the mere existence of a job is insufficient in protecting individuals from socially and psychologically negative impacts associated with unemployment. A sociology of underemployment can help better understand complex, shifting and precarious work and expose inherent forms of suffering and injustice.

Suggested Citation

  • Vanessa Beck & Tracey Warren & Clare Lyonette, 2025. "Is Any Job Better Than No Job? Utilising Jahoda’s Latent Deprivation Theory to Reconceptualise Underemployment," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 39(2), pages 404-425, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:39:y:2025:i:2:p:404-425
    DOI: 10.1177/09500170241254794
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    References listed on IDEAS

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