Dualized Labor Market and Polarized Health: A Longitudinal Perspective on the Association between Precarious Employment and Mental and Physical Health in Germany

This study analyzes the longitudinal association between precarious employment and physical and mental health in a dualized labor market by disaggregating between-employee and within-employee effects and considering mobility in precariousness of employment. Analyses were based on the German Socio-Economic Panel from 2002 to 2018 considering all employees ages 18 to 67 years (n = 38,551). Precariousness of employment was measured as an additive index considering working poverty, nonstandard working time arrangements, perceived job insecurity, and low social rights. Health outcomes were mental and physical health. Random effects models were used and controlled for sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables. Results indicated that the association between precariousness of employment and mental and physical health is mainly based on between-employee differences and that prolonged precariousness of employment or upward or downward mobility are associated with poor health. We found evidence of polarization in health by precariousness of employment within a dualized labor market.

The Relation Between Precarious Employment Arrangements and Social Precarity: Findings from the PREMIS Study in Stockholm, Sweden

Precarious employment (PE) is a well-known social determinant of health and health inequalities. However, as most previous studies have focused on physical and mental well-being, less is known about the social-related outcomes (ie, social precarity) associated with precarious arrangements. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate whether PE is associated with social precarity in a working population of 401 nonstandard employed workers in Stockholm, Sweden (2016-2017). PE was assessed with the Swedish version of the Employment Precarious Scale (EPRES-Se) and analyzed in relation to social precarity related to working life (eg, task quality and job security) and living conditions (eg, restraint in social activities and financial constraints). We found positive adjusted associations between quartiles of EPRES-Se and social precarity related to working life (eg, being locked in an occupation [aPRq4:1.33 [1.10-1.61]]) and living conditions (eg, inability to participate in social activities because of work [aPRq4:1.27 [1.10-1.46]]). Our findings suggest that individuals in PE experience social precarity, stressing that PE may have negative effects on well-being. Further studies using multidimensional constructs of PE and larger samples should analyze these findings according to social and policy contexts in order to be able to inform policymakers.

Elements of Precarious Employment in the Work of Scientifc and Pedagogical Workers

The paper highlights the problem of the growth of the segment of precarious employment in the work of researchers and the faculty, who work mainly in scientific and educational institutions (scientific and pedagogical workers). Besides the elements of precarious employment characteristic of the category of workers under consideration, the author considers the fixed-term nature of labor relations and the low level of the conditionally constant part of wages in the general structure of wages of scientific and pedagogical workers, which can be attributed to the legal prerequisites for the deterioration (precarization) of their labour regulation. In addition to the acts of federal legislation regulating the labor of scientific and pedagogical workers, the author analyzes the provisions of the relevant acts of social partnership for the period from 2015 untill 2023. The author highlights the problem of increasing the types of work included by the employer in the employment of the “second half of the day” of scientific and pedagogical workers without paying additional wages. The lack of legal regulation of the distribution of types of work performed by a scientific and pedagogical worker within a 36-hour working week is also noted by the author among the legal preconditions that, with appropriate law enforcement, worsen the conditions of employment of such workers due to the significantly increasing proportion of time that workers spend on achieving performance indicators and efficiency determined by the employer. In the conclusion of the paper, the author justifies amendments to the legislation in terms of regulating a fixed-term employment contract, establishing the share of guaranteed wages in the overall structure of wages, regulating the types of work included in the working hours of scientific and pedagogical workers at the level of a by-law, which cumulatively will promote sustainability of employment conditions for employees and improve their legal status.

Italian universities do not recruit according to proficiency in scientific production

We analyzed the files regarding the competitions won by 186 professors of selected bibliometric disciplines in Florence between January 2014 and 30 June 2021. An equal number of professors recruited at other Italian universities and of researchers who never attained professorship in Italy were randomly chosen among individuals possessing National Scientific Qualification, a prerequisite for professorship, in the same disciplines of each Florentine professor. The H-indexes at the time of qualification (T1), of the Florence call (T2), and the current (T3) time were obtained from Scopus. Non-recruited researchers were more likely (Chi-square test) to show a higher H-index than both Florentine (T1 p=0.0005, T2 p=0.0015, T3 p=0.0095) and non-Florentine professors (T1 p=0.0078, T2 p=0.0245, T3 p=0.0500). Fifty-four non-recruited scientists serve in foreign universities, 100 at national/international research centers. The remaining 32 scientists (25 who keep producing despite precarious employment, and 7 who have stopped publishing) were, at any rate, as likely as Florentine (T3 p=0.69) and non-Florentine professors (T3 p=0.14) to show a higher H-index. This study suggests that Italian academy does not recruit professors according to their qualitative/quantitative capacity of publishing, with a detriment to knowledge for the countrywide system and on a global scale.

What affects employment by NGOs? Counteraction to precarious employment in the Polish non-profit sector in the perspective of COVID-19 pandemic crises

Research background: The precarious employment in non-governmental organizations has not been the subject of thorough scientific considerations so far. Meanwhile, the dominance of flexible forms of employment in an organization evokes a sense of instability, insecurity and uncertainty among employees. It weakens the relationship between staff and the organization, which, by not providing employees with prospects for permanent employment, creates a threat to its own development. The COVID-19 pandemic is reinforcing these fears as the situation in the labour market continues to deteriorate. Purpose of the article: The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting NGOs employment of contract employees, as a key condition for crowding out precarious employment. Methods: Logistic regression analysis was conducted based on a national representative survey of 1500 Polish NGOs. Findings & value added: Its results indicate that NGOs are increasing the employment of contract staff in order to cope with the excessive bureaucracy of public administration. A stimulating impact on employment is also provided by difficulties in maintaining good staff and volunteers, as well as when there is no sense of security in running an organization. In turn, the lack of people ready to selflessly get involved in an organization's activities, as well as difficulties in accessing premises appropriate to NGOs both reduce the desire among staff to be employed full-time. The monitoring of precarious employment (PE) in NGOs is of key importance in the shaping and effectiveness of national policies aimed at improving the living standards of society as a whole. NGOs are an important element, as they fill the gaps remaining in the implementation of such policies. In the long term, improving the quality of full-time employment in such entities by reducing the barriers to their activity will increase their potential for fulfilling their social mission. To date, such barriers and their relation to employment have not been considered in research literature. However, a considerable proportion of employees in the Polish NGO sector may join the ranks of those excluded from employment and deprived of income due to the crisis on the job market caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article contributes to the existing literature and practice by identifying the influence of wide spectrum of barriers of NGOs activity on permanent employment.