As dimensões existenciais da precariedade: jovens trabalhadores e os seus modos de vida

Abstract

Young people are considered to be the group most affected by the crisis, as they are more vulnerable to precarious working conditions. This article seeks to comprehend the social and individual impacts of precariousness on young people’s way of life from the analysis of objective and subjective dimensions, which reflect an individual’s perception of their own life trajectories in both the present and future. In-depth interviews were conducted with 24 Portuguese young adults with a university-level education. One of the main conclusions is that the future is becoming very unpredictable, which affects not only the vulnerable economic circumstances of young people but also their way of life. In fact, for most of those interviewed, the present labour experience incorporates some alienating aspects that puts constraints on the autonomy and the agency of the self.

Keywords

• employment contract
• job insecurity
• labour market
• living conditions
• youth