Perceived precarious employment in Malta

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to shed more light on the phenomenon of precarious employment by examining the nature and level of perceived precarious employment in Malta. The paper is based on a telephone survey carried out among a sample of 388 employees. Results indicate that perceived and objective precariousness do not necessarily tally, and due to its subjective aspect, precariousness is a relative term. The extent to which perceptions of precariousness are anchored in objective reality might be debatable, but their effects are nonetheless real. While the link between precariousness and socio-demographic data is not straightforward, persons with lower levels of education or in fixed-term employment contracts are significantly more likely to experience precarious employment. The research proposes that it is in the interest of both employers and employees to have an agreed definition and measure of precarious employment. A definition which includes both objective and subjective aspects of the phenomenon would enable researchers to examine situations where the subjective and objective aspects of precariousness do not match. This study highlights the value of viewing precariousness as having both objective and subjective dimensions. It gauges the often-neglected perceptions of workers towards the important though not clearly understood phenomenon of precarious employment.