precariat

American  

[pri-kair-ee-uht] / prɪˈkɛər i ət /

noun

1. the class of people whose income is so irregular or insecure as to adversely affect both their material and psychological well-being.

   Once a corporate executive, now a struggling freelancer, he was wholly unprepared to join the precariat.

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Etymology

Origin of precariat

First recorded in 1955–60; blend of precar(ious) ( def. ) and (proletar)iat ( def. ); salariat ( def. )

Example Sentences

Scholars identify a large number of these voters as “the precariat,” a group whose once-stable, union-protected jobs have been outsourced or replaced with low-wage, insecure service work.

From Salon

The art business puts the precariat and the bourgeoisie in proximity, which can certainly breed resentment.

From New York Times

But as a group they are far removed from people, the majority of Americans, who experience true economic vulnerability and a feeling of being the precariat.

From Salon

The “deaths of despair” that disproportionately afflict white blue-collar and precariat workers have not fallen under Trump; with more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths in 2019, this American carnage continues.

From The Guardian

Yet again, the academic precariat finds itself at a disadvantage.

From Nature