From Precarious Work to Decent Work
A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Work, Employment and the Labor Market".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 835
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sociology of work and employment; sociological theory; precarious work; decency
Interests: social inequality; social stratification and mobility; economic sociology; social networks
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Much of the literature and research on precarious work tends to be ahistorical, focusing solely on the contemporary erosion of employment standards in advanced economies. This approach overlooks the longstanding reality that precarity is, and always has been, endemic in societies where profit is the sole determining factor for employment relations. Moreover, it fails to acknowledge that, for a significant portion of the world’s population, a combination of existential, economic, and political forms of precarity has long been the norm.
While in advanced economies, precarious work is often portrayed as a loss of decent employment standards associated with the golden age of Keynesianism, it is important to recognize the paradox between precarious work and decent work. On the one hand, employment forms the core of society, providing stability and certainty to individuals and societies overall. On the other hand, there is a concerted effort to minimize employment as a cost, leading to increased precarity.
The paradox is evident in “new” digital and app-enabled algorithmic management of employment relations. This is not only the case for the so-called gig-economy, but also in standard employment relations and even everyday life where algorithms are utilised to allocate, monitor, and control work in both old and new industries, ultimately aiming to reduce labour costs.
The purpose of this Special Issue, titled “From Precarious Work to Decent Work,” is to explore and address the paradox between precarious work and decent work inherent in modern capitalism. We seek micro- or macro-sociological research that moves beyond mere descriptions of increased precarity, offering theoretical or empirical insights into how precarious work could be transformed into decent work. Original research papers, reviews, successful case studies, and applications, as well as opinion papers of a high quality and with novel ideas on the possibilities to move “from Precarious Work to Decent Work”, are more than welcome.
Dr. Norbert Ebert
Dr. Hangyoung Lee
Dr. Harry Blatterer
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- precarious work
- decent work
- employment
- sociology of work
- social inequality
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