The paper reveals the concept of precarious employment and provides an overview of basic theoretical and methodological approaches to its study. The aim of the article is to determine the extent of precarious employment in the context of different types of territories: large cities, which are administrative or industrial centres of the Russian Federation, and municipal districts (for example, cities of Vologda and Cherepovets, as well as municipal districts of the Vologda Oblast). The author explains the use of sociological tools based on the four criteria proposed by Jerry Rogers. In accordance with his theory, precarious employment can be estimated on the basis of four dimensions: confidence in employment, the ability of workers to control labor process, the degree of employment security, and the level of income. The article uses sociological methods such as analysis of the data of a sociological survey and the method of junction. The results of the monitoring of labor potential quality in the Vologda Oblast are used in analyzing the prevalence of precarious employment in different types of territories: in major cities (on the example of Vologda and Cherepovets) and in municipal districts. The analytical part focuses on the nature of work, type of employment contract, concerns about the risk of job loss, social guarantees, satisfaction with working conditions and wages. The analysis shows that the main factors in the prevalence of precarious employment in the city of Vologda lie in the sphere of economic institutions (labor rights violations), while in the municipal districts the studied phenomenon is developing due to economic reasons – low wages, and lack of development of the economy. On the example of the city of Cherepovets, the paper shows that cities with a strong industrial-based economy are at risk of the spread of precarious work to a lesser extent than other territories. The final part of the paper presents general recommendations for the public authorities to address the issue of precarious employment in Russian territories. The article can be used in the educational process, and by representatives of state authorities for making management decisions
Keywords
environment, labor market, sociological survey, institutions, precarious employment