Tackling Precarious Work

Tackling precarious work has been described by the United Nations (UN)’s International Labour Organization (ILO) as the main challenge facing the world of work. In this ground-breaking book, leading applied research scholars, advocates, and activists from across the globe respond to this challenge by showing how Industrial and Organizational (I/O) psychology has a significant contribution to make in humanity moving away from precarious work situations towards sustainable livelihoods.

Broken down into four key parts on Sustainable Livelihoods, Fair Incomes, Work Security and Social Protection, the book covers a multitude of topics including the role of poor pay, lack of work-related security, social protection for human health and wellbeing, and interventions and policies to implement for the future of work. The volume offers a detailed look into useful and effective ways to tackle precarious work to create and maintain sustainable livelihoods. This curated collection of 22 chapters considers the broader relationships between previous research work and issues of human security and sustainability that affect workers, families, communities, and societies. Each chapter expands the present understandings of the world of precarious work and how it fits within broader issues of economic, ecological, and social sustainability.

In addition to I/O psychologists in research, practice, service and study, this book will also be useful for organizational researchers, labor unions, HR practitioners, fair trade, cooperative, and civil society organizations, social scientists, human security analysts, public health professionals, economists, and supporters of the UN SDGs, including at the UN.

Chapter 1 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Stuart C. Carr is UNESCO Professor on Sustainable Livelihoods and a Professor of Psychology in the School of Psychology at Massey University, New Zealand. Stu’s research, service, and teaching focus on transformation from insecure, precarious work to sustainable livelihoods, under the aegis of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr Veronica Hopner is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology, Massey University in New Zealand. Her research interests include modern slavery, occupational health psychology and violent extremism.

Darrin J. Hodgetts is a Professor of Societal Psychology at Massey University where he researches issues of human [in]security, including urban poverty. Darrin has held various academic positions in Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, and his work is increasingly focused on the Asia Pacific region.

Megan Young is an Assistant Lecturer in the School of Psychology at Massey University, New Zealand. With an undergraduate degree in English Literature, she is particularly interested in the different ways that research can be communicated to a broader audience where it may benefit professionals and lay people alike.