Job Precarity and Attitudes Towards Labour Unions: The Mitigating Role of Immigrant Background

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This article explores the relationship between precarious employment and precarious migrant legal status. Original research on immigrant workers' employment experiences in Toronto examines the effects of several measures including human capital, network, labor market variables, and a change in legal status variable on job precarity as measured by an eight-indicator Index of Precarious Work (IPW). Precarious legal status has a long-lasting, negative effect on job precarity; both respondents who entered and remained in a precarious migratory status and those who shifted to secure status were more likely to remain in precarious work compared to respondents who entered with and remained in a secure status. This leaves no doubt that migrant-worker insecurity and vulnerability stem not only from having ‘irregular’ status. We introduce the notion of a work–citizenship matrix to capture the ways in which the precariousness of legal status and work intersect in the new economy. People and entire groups transition through intersecting work–citizenship insecurities, where prior locations have the potential to exert long-term effects, transitions continue to occur indefinitely over the life-course, and gains on one front are not always matched on others. Este artículo explora la relación entre el empleo precario y el estado legal migratorio precario. La investigación original sobre las experiencias del empleo de los trabajadores inmigrantes en Toronto, examina los efectos de varias medidas que incluyen el capital humano, las redes, las variables del mercado laboral, y un cambio en la variable del estado legal en la precariedad del trabajo, según la medida por un octavo indicador, el Índex del Empleo Precario (IPW, por sus siglas en inglés). El estado legal precario tiene un efecto negativo duradero en la precariedad del empleo. Ambos encuestados que entraron y permanecieron bajo un estatus migratorio precario, comparados con encuestados que entraron y permanecieron bajo un estatus seguro. Esto no nos deja duda que la inseguridad y la vulnerabilidad del trabajador inmigrante, no solo surgen por tener un estatus ‘irregular’. Presentamos la noción de una matriz para el trabajo y la ciudadanía, para captar las formas en que la precariedad del estatus legal y el trabajo intersectan en la nueva economía. La gente y grupos enteros de transición a través de intersectar inseguridades de trabajo y ciudadanía, en donde lugares previos tienen el potencial de ejercer efectos duraderos, las transiciones continúan ocurriendo indefinidamente sobre el curso de vida, y las ganancias en un frente no siempre coinciden con otras. 本文探索不稳定就业和移民不安全法律地位之间的关系。关于多伦多移民劳工工作经历的原创性研究以不稳定工作指数（IPW）的八个指标为衡量标准，考察人力资本、网络、劳动力市场变量和法律地位变量这几个已知变量对工作稳定性的影响。不确定的法律地位对工作的不稳定产生持续消极的影响。相比于那些入境时以及入境后法律地位一直稳定的人而言，那些入境时及入境后法律地位都不稳定的人，以及入境后才获得稳定法律地位的人，其工作更有可能不稳定。这无疑显示，移民劳工的不确定性和脆弱性不仅仅来源于其“非正规的”身份。我们引入工作—公民身份矩阵这一概念，来解释法律地位的不确定性和工作如何交叉贯穿在新经济中。个人和团体的转变过程贯穿于相互交织的工作—公民身份不安全性之中，先前的工作地点有潜力发挥长期影响，地点的转移将贯穿其一生，且一地之所得并不总能与他地之所得相匹配。

Background and importanceThe 4 year postgraduate Hospital Pharmacy Specialisation Course (HPSC) is a mandatory requirement to become a hospital pharmacist in the national healthcare system in Italy. Despite different laws...

This chapter investigates the existence of complementarities between immigrant and native workers across sectors in Italy and the effects on wages due to immigration during the period 2011–2016. The analysis is based on a production function framework, where the aggregate labor is the result of a nested-CES function, and workers are differentiated according to their educational attainment, job experience, and nationality. This approach allows the analysis to estimate the elasticity of substitution between immigrant and native workers with the same education-experience level by sector. The contribution is twofold. First, it provides an estimate of the elasticity of substitution between native and immigrant workers by sector. Second, by considering explicitly the different degrees of substitutability between immigrant and native workers, the analysis provides an estimate of the wage impact for the two groups of workers at sectoral level. We find noticeable differences in the elasticity parameters across sectors. Similarly, the wage impact of immigrant is remarkably different both across sectors and between immigrant and native workers.

IntroductionTransformations in the world of work have led to a growth of temporary employment, job instability and perceived of job insecurity, and an overall precarisation of employment relations. In Chile,...

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that immigrant workers face relatively worse working and employment conditions, as well as lower rates of sickness absence than native-born workers. This study aims to assess rates of sickness presenteeism in a sample of Spanish-born and foreign-born workers according to different characteristics.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst a convenience sample of workers (Spanish-born and foreign-born), living in four Spanish cities: Barcelona, Huelva, Madrid and Valencia (2008-2009). Sickness presenteeism information was collected through two items in the questionnaire ("Have you had health problems in the last year?" and "Have you ever had to miss work for any health problem?") and was defined as worker who had a health problem (answered yes, first item) and had not missed work (answered no, second item). For the analysis, the sample of 2,059 workers (1,617 foreign-born) who answered yes to health problems was included. After descriptives, logistic regressions were used to establish the association between origin country and sickness presenteeism (adjusted odds ratios aOR; 95% confidence interval 95%CI). Analyses were stratified per time spent in Spain among foreign-born workers.ResultsAll of the results refer to the comparison between foreign-born and Spanish-born workers as a whole, and in some categories relating to personal and occupational conditions. Foreign-born workers were more likely to report sickness presenteeism compared with their Spanish-born counterparts, especially those living in Spain for under 2 years [Prevalence: 42% in Spanish-born and 56.3% in Foreign-born; aOR 1.77 95%CI 1.24-2.53]. In case of foreign-born workers (with time in Spain < 2 years), men [aOR 2.31 95%CI 1.40-3.80], those with university studies [aOR 3.01 95%CI 1.04-8.69], temporary contracts [aOR 2.26 95%CI 1.29-3.98] and salaries between 751-1,200€ per month [aOR 1.74 95% CI 1.04-2.92] were more likely to report sickness presenteeism. Also, recent immigrants with good self-perceived health and good mental health were more likely to report presenteeism than Spanish-born workers with the same good health indicators.ConclusionsImmigrant workers report more sickness presenteeism than their Spanish-born counterparts. These results could be related to precarious work and employment conditions of immigrants. Immigrant workers should benefit from the same standards of social security, and of health and safety in the workplace that are enjoyed by Spanish workers.

ObjectivesThis study investigated the association between employment status and depression.MethodsData from the Korea Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS) collected from 2008 to 2011 were used. A total of 7368 subjects were...

An increasing number of immigrants from the diverse cultural background are residing and working in the United States. Job demands-resources and socio-demographic characteristics have been associated with work-family conflict (WFC) among native workers; however, limited research has examined these associations among immigrant workers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between job demands-resources, and WFC among immigrant and native workers in the U.S. Data from the National Study of the Changing Workforce was used in this research. This is nationally representative data of wage and salaried workers in the United States. Step-wise multiple regression via backward elimination was used to determine the predictors that made a significant contribution to dependent variables. Results indicate that some of the factors predicting WFC among immigrant and native workers are dissimilar. These results have implications for practitioners working with the immigrant population and also for WFC policies.

ABSTRACTAn increasing number of immigrants from the diverse cultural background are residing and working in the United States. Job demands-resources and socio-demographic characteristics have been associated with work-family conflict (WFC) among native workers; however, limited research has examined these associations among immigrant workers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between job demands-resources, and WFC among immigrant and native workers in the U.S. Data from the National Study of the Changing Workforce was used in this research. This is nationally representative data of wage and salaried workers in the United States. Step-wise multiple regression via backward elimination was used to determine the predictors that made a significant contribution to dependent variables. Results indicate that some of the factors predicting WFC among immigrant and native workers are dissimilar. These results have implications for practitioners working with the immigrant population and also for WFC policies.

Orientation: Chinese-owned businesses in Zimbabwe are affected by high labour turnover. High labour turnover in these businesses reduces productivity, causes low employee morale, and augments recruitment and training costs.Research purpose: The study assesses the association between precarious employment, job engagement and employees’ intention to quit in Chinese-owned businesses considering the Midlands Province in Zimbabwe as a case study.Motivation for the study: There is limited literature on the connection between precarious employment, job engagement and employees’ intention to quit in Chinese-owned businesses.Research approach/design and method: This assessment is quantitative. Employing the Employment Precariousness Scale, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and employees’ intention to quit scale, the data implemented in this study were collected from 211 workers employed by Chinese-owned businesses. Structural equation modelling was adopted to examine the connection between precarious employment, job engagement and employees’ intention to quit and to test the structural model.Main findings: The study results indicate that precarious employment is negatively connected to job engagement, job engagement is negatively connected to employees’ intention to quit and precarious employment positively influences employees’ intention to quit.Practical/managerial implications: Precarious employment, job engagement and employees’ intention to quit are linked. Interventions and strategies are required to address these issues.Contribution/value-add: This assessment adds a voice to the existing discourse by illuminating the connection between precarious employment, job engagement and employees’ intention to quit.

Does entering the labour market via precarious employment have a long-term scarring effect on one’s career? Prior research proposes diverse arguments, but firm conclusions remain elusive. Using panel data from Hong Kong, this study rekindles this debate by revealing the long-lasting effect of first job precarity on workers’ subsequent career prospects. A comprehensive measure of precarious employment is constructed to simultaneously account for employment status, contractual status and occupational status, and random effects models are used to test the scarring effect of first job precarity on subsequent monthly income, job satisfaction and fringe benefits. It is also observed that macroeconomic situations, particularly periods of economic crisis, have a detrimental effect on entry into precarious employment. Importantly, the results show the substantial negative consequences of initial precarious employment, highlighting the adverse impact of economic crises on first job precarity and the subsequent scarring effect on career prospects.

Precarious employment is on the rise in Canada, increasing by nearly 50% in the last two decades. However, little is known about the mechanisms by which it can impact upon geographical mobility. Employment-related geographical mobility refers to mobility to, from and between workplaces, as well as mobility as part of work. We report on a qualitative study conducted among 27 immigrant men and women in Toronto that investigates the relationship between precarious employment and daily commutes while exploring the ways in which gender, class and migration structure this relationship. Interview data reveal that participants were largely unable to work where they lived or live where they worked. Their precarious jobs were characterized by conditions that resulted in long, complex, unfamiliar, unsafe and expensive commutes. These commuting difficulties, in turn, resulted in participants having to refuse or quit jobs, including desirable jobs, or being unable to engage in labour market strategies that could improve their employment conditions (e.g. taking courses, volunteering, etc.). Participants’ commuting difficulties were amplified by the delays, infrequency, unavailability and high cost of public transportation. These dynamics disproportionately and/or differentially impacted certain groups of workers. Precarious work has led to workers having to absorb an ever-growing share of the costs associated with their employment, underscored in our study as time, effort and money spent travelling to and from work. We discuss the forces that underlie the spatial patterning of work and workers in Toronto, namely the growing income gap and the increased polarization among neighbourhoods that has resulted in low-income immigrants increasingly moving from the centre to the edges of the city. We propose policy recommendations for public transportation, employment, housing and child care that can help alleviate some of the difficulties described.

Background Poor mental health may lead to labour market insecurity including precarious employment and vice versa. Less is known of how mental health is associated with cumulative engagement in precarious employment over the working career. We examined how the working career is expected to be distributed into precarious and other types of employment by history of mental-health-related sickness absence. Methods We used a register-based 70% population sample to examine wage-earners living in Finland in 2018. Applying the Sullivan method, we calculated the expectancy of precarious and non-precarious employment between age 25 and 63 (N = 1268666) based on a novel measure (score with items on temporariness, agency employment, multijob holding, underemployment and income level) and limited employment (due to which precariousness could not be assessed) among those with and without compensated (granted after 10 weekdays) sickness absence due to mental disorders in the past five years (mental SA history). Results Precarious employment expectancy was higher among those with than among those without a mental SA history (2.5 vs. 1.5 among men and 3.5 vs. 2.8 years among women). The difference in the limited employment expectancy was in the same direction, but much larger among men (6.5 vs. 3.3 among men and 4.4 vs. 3.4 years among women). Men with a mental SA history were expected to spend almost a fourth of their working career with either precarious or limited employment, whereas for men without such a history the number was 13%. Conclusions Individuals with mental disorders have notable accumulation of precarious employment over the working career. They also spend excessive time with limited employment, which may have similar elements as precarious employment and reflect broader labour market insecurity. Attempts should be made to ensure that insecure employment conditions among people with mental health problems do not further deteriorate their health and work ability. Key messages • People with mental disorders spend a disproportionate part of their working career either precariously employed or facing other insecurities in the labour market. • Interventions aiming to promote health and work ability should take into account the interplay between poor mental health and poor employment conditions.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted economically-disadvantaged populations in the United States (US). Precarious employment conditions may contribute to these disparities by impeding workers in such conditions from adopting COVID-19 mitigation measures to reduce infection risk. This study investigated the relationship between employment and economic conditions and the adoption of COVID-19 protective behaviors among US workers during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsEmploying a social media advertisement campaign, an online, self-administered survey was used to collect data from 2,845 working adults in April 2020. Hierarchical generalized linear models were performed to assess the differences in engagement with recommended protective behaviors based on employment and economic conditions, while controlling for knowledge and perceived threat of COVID-19, as would be predicted by the Health Belief Model (HBM).ResultsEssential workers had more precarious employment and economic conditions than non-essential workers: 67% had variable income; 30% did not have paid sick leave; 42% had lost income due to COVID-19, and 15% were food insecure. The adoption of protective behaviors was high in the sample: 77% of participants avoided leaving home, and 93% increased hand hygiene. Consistent with the HBM, COVID-19 knowledge scores and perceived threat were positively associated with engaging in all protective behaviors. However, after controlling for these, essential workers were 60% and 70% less likely than non-essential workers, who by the nature of their jobs cannot stay at home, to stay at home and increase hand hygiene, respectively. Similarly, participants who could not afford to quarantine were 50% less likely to avoid leaving home (AOR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.4, 0.6) than those who could, whereas there were no significant differences concerning hand hygiene.ConclusionsOur findings are consistent with the accumulating evidence that the employment conditions of essential workers and other low-income earners are precarious, that they have experienced disproportionately higher rates of income loss during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and face significant barriers to adopting protective measures. Our findings underscore the importance and need of policy responses focusing on expanding social protection and benefits to prevent the further deepening of existing health disparities in the US.

Occupational future time perspective (OFTP) is important concept for the successful career in older workers. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between individual and work-related factors and OFTP. We conducted a cross-sectional study via an online questionnaire survey. Respondents were stratified sampled according to the distribution of workers across Japan. To assess OFTP, we used the Japanese version of the OFTP scale. We included the factors such as sex, age, education, marital status, subjective health status, personal income, length of employment, industry, size of company, employment status, working days per week, and night shift. Multiple regression analysis was employed to calculate the regression coefficients for each factor, with OFTP serving as the dependent variable. We totally included 1,484 respondents. Our findings indicated that higher OFTP was associated with higher education, better subjective health status, higher personal income, and smaller size of company. Compared to the manufacturing, certain industries such as agriculture and forestry, transportation and postal services, and healthcare showed lower OFTP. In contrast to permanent workers, contract and part-time workers demonstrated lower OFTP, whereas owners of non-family businesses exhibited higher OFTP. Furthermore, individuals working 1-4 days per week showed lower OFTP compared to those working 5 days per week. Older workers facing limitations in resources, such as educational background, personal income, precarious employment, and health status, tend to have lower OFTP. Such individuals should be given priority for support and assistance.