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Glossary
Precarious, non-standard and informal employment: a glossary
  1. Jennifer Ervin1,
  2. Anthony LaMontagne2,
  3. Faraz Shahidi3,4,
  4. Yamna Taouk5,
  5. Peter Smith3,4,
  6. Tania King1
  1. 1Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  2. 2Institute for Health Transformation & School of Health & Social Development, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  3. 3Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  4. 4Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  5. 5The University of Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Dr Jennifer Ervin; jennifer.ervin{at}unimelb.edu.au

Abstract

Precarity in employment is an increasingly concerning global phenomenon. Yet, despite its rising prevalence and the significant impact it has on many people’s lives and health, definitions of precarious employment are varied, and different terms are often used interchangeably. Differences between high-income and low-income and middle-income countries, as well as diverse cross-national labour market structures, further complicate the scholarship. The purpose of this glossary is to provide a point of reference in this complex landscape. Our aim is to synthesise and define key terms pertaining to precarious, non-standard and informal employment in order to guide ongoing application and understanding in this space. In addition, this glossary takes a preliminary step in defining some key and emerging constructs integral or related to understanding precarity in employment in the rapidly growing gig economy.

  • EMPLOYMENT
  • OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
  • PUBLIC HEALTH
  • UNEMPLOYMENT
  • WORKPLACE

https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2024-223428

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    Footnotes

    • X @JenLErvin

    • Contributors JLE and TLK conceived the glossary. JLE researched and wrote the glossary manuscript. All authors contributed to glossary design and terminology refinement. All authors contributed to drafts of the manuscript and approved the final version.

    • Funding This work was funded by a University of Melbourne Dame Kate Campbell Project Support Grant (grant number not applicable) and a veski FAIR Fellowship (grant number not applicable). TLK is supported by the Dame Kate Campbell Fellowship and a veski FAIR Fellowship. PS and FVS worked for the Institute for Work and Health while this paper was completed. The Institute for Work and Health is supported through funding (grant number not applicable) from the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD).

    • Disclaimer The conclusions, opinions and statements expressed herein are solely those of the authors and do not reflect those of the MLITSD; no endorsement is intended or should be inferred.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.