Job insecurity is undermining trust in democracy with workers less likely to vote in elections, a report has found.
Published by the European Union agency Eurofound, the report reveals that workers on non-permanent contracts and those with no formal contract are less satisfied with the functioning of democracy in their country.
Massimiliano Mascerini, Eurofound’s head of unit for social policies, said: “This study is significant as it shows the broader impacts of work and contract arrangements on not only individual workers, but also broader society.
“It is important that everyone in Europe feels that they have a stake in society, and job stability, transparency and adequate employment is an important aspect of this.”
The report, titled Societal implications of labour market instability, claims that as well as decreased participation in elections, individuals experiencing job insecurity are less likely to participate in demonstrations.
Published on 1 September, the report argues job instability negatively impacts social factors such as perceptions of fairness, well-being, trust, sense of social exclusion as well and political participation.
Using data available from late in the pandemic, it concludes that perceived job insecurity is associated with lower life satisfaction, low perceived health, lower mental well-being and a higher likelihood of perceived social exclusion.
Individuals with non-standard working arrangements were found to have less trust in people, accompanied by a sense of unfairness and lack of satisfaction with the functioning of democracy.
The report concluded that workers on a temporary contract, people with no formal contract and those unemployed are less likely to have voted in their country’s last election.
This mistrust was reflected in Eurofound’s latest Living, Working and Covid-19 survey, with job insecurity contributing to a 1.3% decline in trust in an individuals own government.
The report notes that while the proportion of temporary contracts has declined since 2017, partly due to the increase in unemployment across Europe as a result of the pandemic, some EU member states still make use of them.
They’re widely used in countries such as Spain, Italy, Portugal, Croatia and Cyprus who rely heavily on the seasonal tourism sector which tends to hire more during peak times.
The report follows the increasing insecurity of work in the UK, with zero-hour contracts and the emergence of the gig economic raising concerns about the stability of employment.
According to figures published by The Work Foundation in 2022, at least one in five workers will have experienced severely insecure work in any given year.
Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress estimates there were 3.6 million workers in 2021.
The prevalence of temporary employment both in the UK and beyond has also sparked health concerns, with some studies revealing the increased mental and physical health problems associated with job insecurity.
A study published in 2016 reported individuals suffering job insecurity are more likely to report stress and strain, and to experience depression or anxiety than those on permanent contracts.
Related: Heavy workloads and job insecurity increases risk of heart disease and strokes