Precarious Work and the Challenge for Asia

Abstract

This article discusses the social, economic, and political factors that led to the rise and consolidation of precarious work in various countries in Asia. We first define what we mean by “precarious work” and its utility for describing the growth of work that is uncertain and insecure and in which risks are shifted from employers to workers. We then provide an overview of the factors that generated precarious work in industrial nations, notably the spread of neoliberalism as a political and economic perspective, the expansion of global competition, and technological development. These macro structural influences created an impetus for greater flexibility among both states and employers, which in turn led to more precarious work in both formal and informal sectors of the economies of many Asian countries. This, in turn, has provoked various types of resistance on the part of workers against the negative consequences of precarious work.

Working conditions and leisure‐time physical activity among waged workers in South Korea: A cross‐sectional study

“…The mechanisms by which employment status affects lower physical activity levels are unclear, but we can hypothesize several possible pathways. First, we suggest that the unique circumstances in the Korean labor market, particularly its lack of regulation via intervening policies, may play a role 24) . Even if it is assumed that the income levels of precarious and non-precarious workers are the same, the majority of precarious workers in Korea have no benefits or fewer compared with their counterparts 25) .…”

Precarious Bodies: Occupational Risk Assemblages in Bolivia and Trinidad

“…Defined as insecure, temporary or contingent work characterised by low pay and unpredictability, labour precariousness is linked to the employment of politically disempowered groups, limited worker representation in industrial relations and poor regulation of labour standards (Vosko, 2011;Lee and Kofman, 2012;Kalleberg and Hewison, 2013;Torres et al, 2013). These conditions can affect workplace health and safety through high employee turnover, inadequate training and weak enforcement of labour protections (Quinlan, Mayhew and Bohle, 2001;Howse, Jeebhay and Neis, 2012;Benach et al, 2014).…”

Labour Relations Trends In Employee Evaluations: Country To Country Comparison

“…Therefore, it is necessary to identify the peculiarities of modern labour relations. Institutions pay special attention to precarious employment, as well as to the flexibility of personnel (Campbell, Price, 2016, Kalleberg, Hewison, 2013. The phenomenon of precarious employment has been growing over several decades, which has given rise to a new social class: the precariat (Standing, 2011).…”