Work Precariousness: Multi-faceted Life-Courses
The emergence of “atypical” jobs in Quebec raises new social and political issues concerning labour flexibility. The labour market segmentation which results is characterized by increasing job insecurity for the employee and represents a structural deterioration in working and employment conditions. Sociology is particularly interested in the consequences of these changes on living conditions as seen through the subjective perceptions of the actors involved. Hence, the relationship to work, which includes the physical conditions, the accomplishment of tasks and socialization, involves a dichotomy that revolves around the employee’s satisfaction and sources of validation on the one hand, and, on the other, dissatisfaction, which leads to discomfort. Recent changes in the world of work mean that fragmented and uncertain careers are emerging and consequently a reassessment is required concerning the impact of this upon the work relationship, something which to date has been poorly documented. What does atypical employment mean for these workers? Does it affect the value that they place on work? Does this type of career path constitute a new reality? Based on the results of qualitative research conducted in 2009 amongst residents of a deprived area of Montreal who were working in atypical employment, this article goes to the heart of relational dynamics in the Quebec workplace, to understand how they contribute to the construction of specific career paths and to identify the implications for the relationship to work and employment of these workers. The various cases studied provide an insight into the phenomenon of job insecurity from both scientific and policy perspectives.