Living in precarious housing: non-standard employment and housing careers of young professionals in Ireland

Abstract

There is a growing understanding amongst researchers that traditionally defined linear housing career paths are becoming more difficult to follow, especially for young people. This seems to be particularly the case in the context of changing labour markets and the rise of flexible employment. In this paper we use the example of Ireland to demonstrate how non-standard and precarious work influences housing pathways of young professionals. Due to the employment circumstances, these ‘middle class’ workers are increasingly excluded from home ownership; they also experience difficulties in the private rental market. Consequently, they often rely on different forms of alternative housing arrangements. Such arrangements include prolonged sharing with friends and strangers, or moving back with parents. As a result, these young professionals tend to follow non-traditional housing pathways and are not able to move up the housing ladder. Their housing mobility, on the contrary, often consists of vertical or even ‘backward’ movements.