Precarious work and globalisation in Australia: Growth, risks, and future(s)

Precarious work poses risks to workers’ income, safety, and well-being, weakens the power of workers’ organisations, and challenges social solidarities. While precarious work is global, the chapter analyses impacts and future(s) of precarious work in Australia in the wake of COVID-19. First, we document trends in precarious work in Australia. Second, we review causes, including economic globalisation and strategies by governments and unions. Third, we summarise risks and impacts, including being more vulnerable to dismissal and to harassment, injury, and discrimination, alongside barriers to accessing core social goods. Stage four reviews two political solutions: re-regulation of employment, and “post-work” strategies to decouple a stable life-course from standard employment. While COVID-19 intensified existing risks of precarious work, it also showed solutions that are possible when communities muster the necessary political will.