Insecure Work and Well-being: The Experience of Learning Support Officers in the Education Sector

Abstract

Despite the growing body of research into insecure work, debate still rages about its impacts upon the well-being of workers. This research goes beyond existing quantitative research to explore the human experience of Learning Support Officers (LSO) / Teaching Assistants in the Australian education sector. LSOs, the majority of whom are women, continue to be employed in part-time, fixed‑term positions at a rate up to five times higher than that of the general population. This research applies a phenomenological methodology to explore insecure employment and its impact on well-being. For LSOs, the precariousness of their employment exposes them to financial risk, limits their access to training and impacts broadly upon their well-being. Regardless of how unavoidable risk is in a modern economy, this research distils the essence of the human experience of insecure work and calls for changes to employment policies and practices to minimise its negative impacts.