Precarious Positions: Policy Options to Mitigate Risks in Non-Standard Employment

Abstract

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Unions and Non-Standard Work: Union Representation and Wage Premiums across Non-Standard Work Arrangements in Canada, 1997–2014

“…Cranford, Vosko, and Zukewich (2003: 7) described standard employment as “a situation where the worker has one employer, works full-time, year-round on the employer’s premises, enjoys extensive statutory benefits and entitlements and expects to be employed indefinitely.” Non-standard work, then, is understood as any form of employment that differs from the aforementioned on at least one or more of these dimensions (e.g., Cranford et al 2003; Busby and Muthukumaran 2016).…”

“…Non-standard work can therefore take on various forms of non-traditional employment relationships, such as part-time work, temporary work, and self-employment (Busby and Muthukumaran 2016). 2 In Canada, roughly half of all non-standard employment is part-time work (Busby and Muthukumaran 2016: 4), with the largest increase occurring from approximately the late 1970s to the mid-1990s (Morissette, Hou, and Schellenberg 2015: 6). Even more dramatic than the increase in part-time work has been the rise in full-time, temporary employment, which grew 56% from 1997 to 2015 (Busby and Muthukumaran 2016: 6).…”

“…2 In Canada, roughly half of all non-standard employment is part-time work (Busby and Muthukumaran 2016: 4), with the largest increase occurring from approximately the late 1970s to the mid-1990s (Morissette, Hou, and Schellenberg 2015: 6). Even more dramatic than the increase in part-time work has been the rise in full-time, temporary employment, which grew 56% from 1997 to 2015 (Busby and Muthukumaran 2016: 6). Increases in part-time and full-time, temporary employment may be part of an overall degradation in the terms and conditions of employment.…”

“…In the aftermath of the Great Recession and against the backdrop of declining rates of unionization, non-standard work has garnered considerable public attention. Canada, like many industrialized economies, has witnessed a decline in unionization and a commensurate rise in non-standard employment (Busby and Muthukumaran 2016), with the most dramatic shifts occurring in the early 1980s through to the mid-1990s (Green, Krahn, and Sung 1993; Felstead, Krahn, and Powell 1999). This article explores the connection between unions and non-standard work, specifically asking whether unions improve labor market outcomes for non-standard workers as compared to similar workers without such coverage.…”

Intergenerational Fairness: Will Our Kids Live Better than We Do

“…Despite improvements in their labour market outcomes over time, women still experience gaps in their earnings and labour force participation, requiring special policy attention. They are also more likely to have precarious work, particularly part-time employment (Busby and Muthukumaran 2016). Household responsibilities and lack of affordable childcare largely influence women with young children to not work or take a parttime position.…”