For the latest post in the new SSIR blog and webinar series, The Hidden Financial Lives of America's Poor and Middle Class, assistant professor and author H. Luke Shaefer discusses the relationship between changing labor markets and income volatility. Shaefer points out that "the interaction between precarious work and an employment-based safety net is a big part of why we’ve seen a sharp uptick in the number of families" struggling to get by. Even when households do find work, it is often unpredictable or piecemeal. Research from the US Financial Diaries provides evidence that this growing income and expense volatility makes it difficult for households to build assets.
You can read Shaefer's complete post here and also register for the series' January 21st webinar, here.