The Precarity Penalty: The impact of employment precarity on individuals, households and communities―and what to do about it

Abstract

The Precarity Penalty is a follow-up report to It’s More than Poverty. Based on 4,193 surveys collected during 2014, 28 interviews conducted during early 2015, and a review of policy initiatives related to precarious employment, The Precarity Penalty has three objectives: • To confirm the findings reported in It’s More than Poverty and assess labour-market trends since 2011; • To examine issues related to the social impact of precarious employment, first raised in It’s More than Poverty, including household and community well-being, discrimination and health—with a special emphasis on how these effects are experienced at different income levels; and • To offer recommendations on building sustainable employment relationships that will reduce the depth and prevalence of precarious employment, and minimize its negative effects on households and communities.