The global expansion of precarious employment, work disorganization, and consequences for occupational health: Placing the debate in a comparative historical context

Mounting research evidence suggests that the shift to contingent work arran gements in industrialized countries is having serious adverse effects on th e health of workers, both directly and indirectly (by undermining regulator y and other protections). The authors place this research, and the issues s urrounding it, in a comparative historical context, Extensive use of precar ious employment is not essentially new. It was a characteristic feature of most if not all industrialized societies in the 19th and early 20th centuri es. Though the two phases are not identical, historical comparisons are ins tructive for understanding recent experiences and ways of addressing them. The authors also make comparisons with the developing world, where the info rmal sector typically accounts for over half the workforce. Such comparison s are instructive in indicating the consequences of a shift to more precari ous patterns of employment and disorganized work settings. There is also go od evidence that precarious employment is expanding in the developing world . The growing precarious employment in both industrialized and developing c ountries is interconnected, and the authors identify a number of the mechan isms affecting workers' health.