Working Conditions After an Economic Crisis in Spain: “No Calm After the Storm

Abstract

Working Conditions After an Economic Crisis in Spain: “No Calm After the Storm”. Working conditions during the economic crisis of the first decade of the 21st century have been the object of extensive research. This study delves into the main risks facing workers subsequent to the recession and economic crisis of 2008-2014 and prior to the unsettling times provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The choice of Spain as the study area stems from the deep effects of the economic crisis on this country and the fragmentation of its trade unions. Spain is likewise relevant as its authorities adopted two opposite strategies (respectively austerity followed by expansive investment) to cope and counter these problems over time. This qualitative study comprises in-depth interviews with 45 experts from various sectors of business. The findings suggest that factors such as persistent job insecurity and work overload profoundly affect the social environment and relationships of employees both at work and in the family generating individual coping strategies that weaken the role of trade unions.