IT’S A BIT OF A DARK ROAD REALLY: EXPLORING PRECARITY AMONG OLDER WORKERS

摘要

Based on recent qualitative research in 5 UK organisations we take a different approach to precarity in older age. We argue for a focus on ‘ontological precarity’ as a lived experience rather than solely as a labour outcome. Many older workers feel precarious but to understand this it is necessary to widen the scope of enquiry beyond individuals’ labour market position and consider their broader socio-economic circumstances. We argue that for a significant proportion of older workers, the pressure to work for longer, combined with limited alternative employment prospects, and weak pension provision gives rise to a heightened sense of precarity. It is therefore crucial to locate older workers’ experiences of precarity within the context of a shifting social policy landscape, which includes rising State Pension ages and attempts to extend working lives. In this context, even older workers in relatively ‘secure’ employment may feel that their situation is precarious.