TY - JOUR
T1 - COVID-19 and Precarious Employment
T2 - Consequences of the Evolving Crisis
AU - All Members of the PWR Study Consortium
AU - Matilla-Santander, Nuria
AU - Ahonen, Emily
AU - Albin, Maria
AU - Baron, Sherry
AU - Bolíbar, Mireia
AU - Bosmans, Kim
AU - Burström, Bo
AU - Cuervo, Isabel
AU - Davis, Letitia
AU - Gunn, Virginia
AU - Håkansta, Carin
AU - Hemmingsson, Tomas
AU - Hogstedt, Christer
AU - Jonsson, Johanna
AU - Julià, Mireia
AU - Kjellberg, Katarina
AU - Kreshpaj, Bertina
AU - Lewchuk, Wayne
AU - Muntaner, Carles
AU - O'Campo, Patricia
AU - Orellana, Cecilia
AU - Östergren, Per-Olof
AU - Padrosa, Eva
AU - Ruiz, Marisol E
AU - Vanroelen, Christophe
AU - Vignola, Emilia
AU - Vives, Alejandra
AU - Wegman, David H
AU - Bodin, Theo
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - The world of work is facing an ongoing pandemic and an economic downturn with severe effects worldwide. Workers trapped in precarious employment (PE), both formal and informal, are among those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we call attention to at least 5 critical ways that the consequences of the crisis among workers in PE will be felt globally: (a) PE will increase, (b) workers in PE will become more precarious, (c) workers in PE will face unemployment without being officially laid off, (d) workers in PE will be exposed to serious stressors and dramatic life changes that may lead to a rise in diseases of despair, and (e) PE might be a factor in deterring the control of or in generating new COVID-19 outbreaks. We conclude that what we really need is a new social contract, where the work of all workers is recognized and protected with adequate job contracts, employment security, and social protection in a new economy, both during and after the COVID-19 crisis.
AB - The world of work is facing an ongoing pandemic and an economic downturn with severe effects worldwide. Workers trapped in precarious employment (PE), both formal and informal, are among those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we call attention to at least 5 critical ways that the consequences of the crisis among workers in PE will be felt globally: (a) PE will increase, (b) workers in PE will become more precarious, (c) workers in PE will face unemployment without being officially laid off, (d) workers in PE will be exposed to serious stressors and dramatic life changes that may lead to a rise in diseases of despair, and (e) PE might be a factor in deterring the control of or in generating new COVID-19 outbreaks. We conclude that what we really need is a new social contract, where the work of all workers is recognized and protected with adequate job contracts, employment security, and social protection in a new economy, both during and after the COVID-19 crisis.
KW - COVID-19
KW - employment
KW - new economy
KW - pandemic
KW - precarious employment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099369450&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0020731420986694
DO - 10.1177/0020731420986694
M3 - Article
C2 - 33430684
VL - 51
SP - 226
EP - 228
JO - International Journal of Health Services
JF - International Journal of Health Services
SN - 0020-7314
IS - 2
ER -