Precarious Employment: A Neglected Issue Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Workers

Precarious employment disproportionately affects systemically marginalized populations. Despite ample literature identifying employment disparities among some marginalized groups, LGBTQ + populations are often overlooked by research in this area.

A scoping review of peer-reviewed literature was conducted to identify the prevalence of precarious employment characteristics (e.g., part-time work), how LGBTQ + people arrive at precarious employment, and what precarious employment among this population looks like. In February 2022, the study team searched ten bibliographic databases for studies in OECD countries published from 2000.

The search yielded 2738 unique articles, of which 30 met inclusion criteria. The ability to fully characterize the prevalence or nature of precarious employment among LGBTQ + people was limited. However, it was clear that precariously employed LGBTQ + workers have limited power to address the hostility and discrimination they experience when pursuing employment and in the workplace.

Increased workplace protections for LGBTQ + people are needed in addition to addressing their devaluation within and exclusion from stable employment through effective social policy.

Existing social policies are insufficient to address the unique conditions that structure LGBTQ + people’s experiences in the labor market. This analysis brings together disparate literature that might better inform and strengthen social policies targeted toward equity and inclusion of LGBTQ + populations.