Precarious Work Schedules as a Source of Economic Insecurity and Institutional Distrust

• Main Authors: Susan J. Lambert, Julia R. Henly, Jaeseung Kim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Russell Sage Foundation 2019-09-01
• Series: RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
• Subjects: work schedules; job quality; economic insecurity; institutional trust
• Online Access: https://www.rsfjournal.org/content/5/4/218

Work schedules may fuel precariousness among U.S. workers by undermining perceptions of security, both economic and societal. Volatile hours, limited schedule input, and short advance notice are all dimensions of precarious work schedules. Our analyses suggest that scheduling practices that introduce instability and unpredictability into workers’ lives undermine perceptions of security in unique ways for hourly and salaried workers. Although the data suggest that precarious scheduling practices are widespread in the labor market, workers who are black, young, and without a college degree appear to be at highest risk. The findings highlight the importance of examining constellations of scheduling practices and considering the direction of work-hour fluctuations when investigating the ramifications of today’s scheduling practices for quality of employment and quality of life.