A ‘place-based’ approach to work and employment: The end of reciprocity for ordinary working families and ‘giggers’ in a place

Abstract

The authors define ‘place basing’ as the study of work and employment in a particular place. They are interested in understanding the limitations of work opportunities therein and so focus on workers and jobs that are not subject to the threat of off-shoring or relocation elsewhere but which are low paid and insecure. The authors theorize three contributions to new knowledge that flow from a place-based study of work and employment by demonstrating how precarious flexible often zero hour work eschews reciprocity between employer and employees and workers. They focus their research on ordinary working families and the ‘permissive visibility’ of bad work. The research points to an idealized model of individual and family economic functioning that is able to cope with physical and mental challenges individually without burdening the state. As the findings on workers and households demonstrate, this ideal is far from the reality they experience.

‘It was doing my head in’: Low‐paid multiple employment and zero hours work

“…For example, Dunn (2020) offers a useful typology in examining worker motivations to pursue such work, ranging from those who simply want to earn additional income in the short term, such as, graduate students, to the most precarious who are dependent on such employment to survive. The focus of our article is on employment precarity, and several scholars argue that the development of a ‘flexible’ deregulated labour market has created increasingly polarized employment (Clark et al., 2022; Green, 2006; Standing, 2011), with manifold inequalities experienced by those at the lower end of the labour market. This is marked by deep‐rooted structural issues of low‐pay, employment insecurity, ZHCs or variable working hours, and widespread precarity (Berry & McDaniel, 2022; Clark et al., 2022; Rubery et al., 2018).…”

“…The focus of our article is on employment precarity, and several scholars argue that the development of a ‘flexible’ deregulated labour market has created increasingly polarized employment (Clark et al., 2022; Green, 2006; Standing, 2011), with manifold inequalities experienced by those at the lower end of the labour market. This is marked by deep‐rooted structural issues of low‐pay, employment insecurity, ZHCs or variable working hours, and widespread precarity (Berry & McDaniel, 2022; Clark et al., 2022; Rubery et al., 2018). Alberti et al.…”

“…Recent research by Clark et al. (2022) reveals that ordinary working families are struggling to pay bills and incurring debts, as a direct consequence of embedded precarious low‐paid employment. Regarding the process of precarization, Ba (2019) reveals the daily struggles of financial instability and the antagonisms in reconciling work with family life.…”

Comparison of the Legal Position of Gig Economy Workers in Indonesia, the Netherlands, and the UK

“…Pertumbuhan ekonomi dapat meningkatkan kesejahteraan masyarakat dari berbagai aspek, seperti kondisi lingkungan, sosial, dan perekonomian. Oleh karena itu, untuk mencapai kesejahteraan masyarakat yang lebih baik, diperlukan perubahan kehidupan (Clark et al, 2022).…”