Research project NOWSTARS
Employment contracts, job insecurity, unionization, working conditions, work-related attitudes and health among women and men in a flexible labor market.

This research program, funded by Forte, is under the acronym NOWSTARS (New Organization of Work in Self-employment, Temporary Agency, Academia, and Retail in Sweden). The program aims to explore how insecurity in working life, different kinds of employment contracts, and unionization are linked to working conditions, work-related attitudes and behaviors, and health and well-being among gainfully employed women and men in the Swedish labor market.
The research program will clarify the significance of different employment contracts and job insecurity for women and men in various stages of life, professions, branches and sectors. Such knowledge will enable the promotion of change and advancement towards a more sustainable working life.
For more information, see psychology.su.se/nowstars/english/.
Project description
The program features occupations with varying demands on skills and competencies in both the public and private sectors. The research program consists of six different projects, four of which are sector-specific. The sectors included are:
- Self-employment
- Temporary agency work
- Academia
- Retail
These four sectors were strategically chosen to complement each other. They represent 1) a new, and increasingly common kind of employment, 2) a common, initial employment position where the type of workplace may vary, 3) a knowledge-intensive sector where many encounter insecure conditions, and 4) a common labor market entry job with varied employment contracts, and equal gender distribution at the managerial level.
The fifth project focuses on the role of unions within each of the four sectors.
The sixth project supports the development of the theoretical framework within this area of research.
The program is based on longitudinal survey data from the different areas, supplemented with interview data.
Project members
Project managers
Magnus Sverke
Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology

Members
Claudia Bernhard-Oettel
Professor

Constanze Eib
Researcher

Helena Falkenberg
Assistant Professor

Johnny Hellgren
Assistant Professor

Constanze Leineweber
Professor

Petra Lindfors
Professor

Lena Låstad
Senior lecturer

Franziska Müller
PhD Student

Jacobus Pienaar
Associate Professor

Philip Ström
PhD Student

Anna Sofia Tanimoto
Researcher
