Bobkov V.N., Odintsova E.V., Pavlova V.V. Official and unofficial employment in organizations: characteristics and impact on the living standard of households. Labour and Social Relations. 2021. Vol. 32. Issue 5. Pp. 16-29.

Abstract

In their article, the authors analyze the comparative quality of official and unofficial employment in organizations. The authors prove that both employment sectors are characterized by a noticeable spread of unstable (precarized) employment. The scientific novelty of the study consists in the quantitative assessment of the manifestations of unstable employment in the official and unofficial sectors. This allows us to characterize the differences in the quality of this employment. The authors note that informal employment is of a lower quality. This is manifested in its greater exposure to unstable employment and the concentration of its signs leading to the most vulnerable position in the employment of workers in this employment sector. The authors reveal the potential for the legalization of hidden employment, which is manifested in the readiness of a significant part of the workers of the shadow sector to change jobs. The authors demonstrate that at present the distribution of employees according to the standards of wages and household income in both sectors of employment in organizations is approximately equal, which does not motivate most of the covertly employed in organizations to legalize it. The conclusions the authors draw from the study seem significant as they can be used to improve the effectiveness of the state employment policy and create conditions that exclude informal employment.