Precarity, Temporality, and Generational Gaps in the Southern Cone: The Cases of Chile and Uruguay (2010–2018).

Abstract

This study analyzes the socio-labor conditions of agricultural wage workers through the analytical dimensions of labor precarity, generational differences, and rural training in Uruguay and Chile, providing indicators of working conditions within the context of intensifying food production systems. The central research question examines what transformations have occurred in the socio-labor situation of agricultural wage workers in rural Uruguay and Chile between 2010 and 2018, employing a comparative analysis of their evolution in terms of working time, labor precarity, and generational disparities. The quantitative methodology utilizes data from Uruguay's Continuous Household Surveys (2012-2018) conducted by the National Statistics Institute (INE) and Chile's National Employment Surveys (2010 and 2018) from its National Statistics Institute (INE), applying both exploratory and confirmatory analytical approaches to address the research problem. Key findings reveal that precision in production timing has led to the implementation of precision labor strategies, particularly driving large-scale agricultural enterprises in both countries to increasingly demand youth-oriented day-labor employment arrangements.