Precarious Work and New Class in Post-Industrial South Korea

This paper aims to examine precarious work in post-industrial Korean labour market. Previous studies on precarious work have focused on employment status, working condition and work arrangements, however, we suggest that not only employment insecurity but also insecurity of market, post-transfer and social income should be included in the conceptualization of precarious work. In addition we include how individual workers perceive ‘precariousness’ and how this contributes to the definition of precarious work. Then this paper investigates the relation between precarious work conceptualized in the paper and the new class structure in post-industrial Korean labour market. Discussion on class structure departs from the traditional division of class and highlights the structural transition from an industrial to a service economy. Gender and age will be also considered in the analysis. We exploit a mixed method of conventional method and QCA (qualitative comparative analysis) to examine how different configuration of precarious work is associated with new class structure, using Korea Labour & Income Panel Study(1st wave – 13th wave). Results from the analysis suggests how precarious work in Korea is structured within the socioeconomic context of post-industrial Korea.