Work

Do Workers Speak Up When Feeling Job Insecure? Examining Workers’ Response to Precarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic inflicted unprecedented precarity upon workers, including concerns about job insecurity. We examine whether workers respond to job insecurity with voice, and assess the role of unions, managers, and employment arrangements in this relationship. Analyses of an original 2020 survey representative of Illinois and Michigan workers show that job insecurity is not significantly associated with voice. Further, while we find that union membership and confidence in organized labor are positively associated with voice, insecure workers are less likely to speak up than secure workers as confidence in organized labor increases. Last, we find that insecure nonstandard workers are less likely to use voice than their secure counterparts.

Source: Work and Occupations

DOI: 10.1177/07308884221128481

Authors: Hye Jin Rho, Christine Riordan, Christian Lyhne Ibsen, J. Ryan Lamare, Maite Tapia

Institutions: Michigan State University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Copenhagen

Language: English

Topic: Labor Movements and Unions

Subfield: Public Administration

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Michigan State University, College of Engineering, Michigan State University