Decent work and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic: A two-wave study

BACKGROUND: The world is going through a challenging historical moment, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting billions of lives and communities worldwide. OBJECTIVE: Building on the widespread negative impact of the pandemic on the socio-economic context, and consequently on the labour market, the ai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Work (Reading, Mass.) Mass.), 2023-12, Vol.76 (4), p.1275
Main Authors: Pereira, Susana Alves, dos Santos, Nuno Rebelo, Pais, Leonor, Pereira, Marco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citizenship
Context
COVID-19
Economics
Impact analysis
Pandemics
Perception
Socioeconomics
Workers
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Summary:BACKGROUND: The world is going through a challenging historical moment, with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting billions of lives and communities worldwide. OBJECTIVE: Building on the widespread negative impact of the pandemic on the socio-economic context, and consequently on the labour market, the aim of this study was to analyse the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers' perception of decent work. METHODS: The Decent Work Questionnaire was administered to 243 workers from seven Portuguese organisations at two-time points (before and during the pandemic). RESULTS: Results revealed a positive and significant effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on six of seven dimensions of decent work, particularly those related to Meaningful Remuneration for the Exercise of Citizenship and Health and Safety. CONCLUSION: The positive effects of social comparison processes are stronger than the negative effects of the adverse socio-economic context. Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, workers may have compared their work situation with the condition of other workers, activating an increase in their subjective perception of the value of their current reality.
ISSN:1051-9815
1875-9270
DOI:10.3233/WOR-220590