Precarious Work in Asia: Introductory Remarks Arne L. Kalleberg University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chung-Ang University--July 19, 2011

Overview  Conceptualizing Precarious Work  The Growth of Precarious Work  The Importance of Studying Precarious Work  Need for Comparative Studies

Precarious Work  Work that is:  Insecure  Uncertain  Risks borne by workers  Limited income and benefits  Little potential for better jobs  Examples:  Temporary work (Formal economy)  Informal economy work

Precarity as Loss (Developed countries)  Loss of:  labor rights historically won by unions and workers’ movements.  stable employment relationships and employment protections due to legalization of temporary, part-time and training contracts.  welfare protections such as health insurance and reductions in unemployment benefits associated with transformations in labor conditions and labor contracts such as: from full-time to part-time, from permanent to temporary jobs, etc.

Standard Employment Relationship  Pillars:  Bilateral Employment Relation  Standardized Hours  Continuous Employment  Psychological Contract  Access to  Regulatory protections  Training  Careers  (Adult Male Citizens)

Macro Changes Pressures for Greater Flexibility Employer & State Responses Precarious Work SER Shift in Employment Norms COUNTRY DIFFERENCES

Polanyi’s “Double Movement” (U.S.) FlexibilitySecurity Precarious Work Uncertainty SER > Growth; > Certainty A New Social Contract??? Precarious Work Uncertainty

On- Call, Fixed Term Temp Org B Organization A Contractor Org C Some Nonstandard Employment Relations

Precarity as Informal Economy  Labor in the Informal Sector  Informal self-employed (street vendors, homeworkers), Informal employees (domestic workers), Migrant workers  Informal labor in formal sector (atypical workers not protected by regulatory framework)  THA workers, contracted workers  De-facto informal labor (formal workers in informal economy who have no power to obtain the rights to whcih they are entitled)  Workers in developing countries with no union, part-timers (D.O. Chang, 2009)

Individual Outcomes Consequences of Precarious Work Precarious Work Family Outcomes Economic Insecurity & Inequality Community Outcomes COUNTRY DIFFERENCES

Need for Comparative Research  Cross-national studies are necessary in order to:  account for the diversity of precarious work (types of nonstandard work, informal work)  understand impacts of institutions and cultures

Studying Precarious Work in 10 Asian Countries  China  India  Indonesia  Japan  Philippines  South Korea  Sri Lanka  Taiwan  Thailand  Vietnam  More developed countries:  Nonstandard work arrangements (e.g., temporary, contract work)  Less developed countries:  Informal economy

Research Questions  What does “precarious work” mean in the different countries?  What statistics on PW are available? What are the estimates of the extent/trends in PW?  Who is doing research on PW in the country?  Case illustrating the nature of PW in country?  What strategies might reduce PW in country?  Other important information about PW in country?

Goals of the Workshop  Share information about precarious work in the various countries  Develop a common framework for studying precarious work  Identify key issues for comparative analysis  Develop a strategy for moving forward  Set date for next conference, at UNC-Chapel Hill