Young people and precarious work in England during the Covid-19 pandemic: a psychology of working perspective
通过21名英格兰青年不稳定工作者的重复访谈，基于工作心理学理论分析他们如何满足需求、理解工作生活，发现职业适应力、工作意愿等可缓解不稳定性的负面影响，但参与者未采取集体或政治行动。
Young people are disproportionately represented in precarious work and are particularly vulnerable to labour market shocks. This article explores the lived experiences of twenty-one young precarious workers in England during the Covid-19 pandemic. Employing a qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) design, repeat interviews were conducted in 2021 to examine how participants’ needs were met within the context of precarious work and how they made meaning of their working lives. Reflexive thematic analysis was guided by the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT), with a focus on human needs. Findings explore the role of career adaptability, work volition, social support, and critical consciousness as malleable factors that can buffer young people against the adverse effects of precarity. Participants articulated diverse rationalizations of their work situations: dedication to precarious career; adapting to stopgap option; juggling trade-offs between work factors; and resigned disengagement. While they utilized resourceful, lifewide strategies to meet their needs and demonstrated a clear awareness of labour market injustices, none engaged in collective or political action. The article concludes that while PWT concepts offer value in analysing precarity, the theory is less suited to illuminate the complex role of reflexivity in shaping worker subjectivities.