ABSTRACT How can labour market institutions make workers confident about their economic future? While quantitative studies have repeatedly shown that countries’ labour market regulations and policies are related to variations in workers’ perceived job security, these studies did not explain how these institutions affect workers’ perceptions and expectations. This study seeks to close this gap by analysing qualitative interview data collected on employees in Germany and the U.S. during the great financial crisis (2009–2010). The study's main finding is that policies vary in their effectiveness at making workers feel secure about their jobs. While unemployment assistance can reduce workers’ worries about job loss, dismissal protection does not seem to effectively increase workers’ confidence that their jobs are secure. Overall, employees know relatively little about the policies and regulations that are meant to protect them and have limited trust in their effectiveness. Individual and organisational characteristics seem to be more relevant for employees’ feelings of job security than national-level policies. In particular, comparisons with others who have lower levels of protection increase workers’ perceived security. These insights are particularly important in light of the ongoing changes in the world of work that are making workers’ lives more uncertain and insecure.

中文翻译：

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感觉安全还是安全？关于劳动力市场机构与德国和美国员工对工作安全感的关系的定性证据

摘要劳动力市场机构如何使工人对其经济未来充满信心？定量研究一再表明，国家的劳动力市场法规和政策与工人感知到的工作保障的变化有关，但这些研究并未解释这些制度如何影响工人的感知和期望。本研究旨在通过分析在严重金融危机（2009-2010年）期间在德国和美国的雇员所收集的定性访谈数据来弥合这一差距。该研究的主要发现是，政策在使工人感到工作安全方面的效力各不相同。尽管失业救济可以减轻工人对失业的担忧，但解雇保护似乎并不能有效地提高工人对其工作安全的信心。全面的，员工对旨在保护他们的政策和法规知之甚少，并且对其有效性的信任有限。个人和组织特征似乎比国家政策更适合员工的工作安全感。特别是，与其他防护等级较低的国家进行比较可以提高工人的感知安全性。鉴于工作环境的不断变化使工人的生活更加不确定和不安全，这些见解尤其重要。与其他防护等级较低的国家进行比较可以提高工人的感知安全性。鉴于工作环境的不断变化使工人的生活更加不确定和不安全，这些见解尤其重要。与其他防护等级较低的国家进行比较可以提高工人的感知安全性。鉴于工作环境的不断变化使工人的生活更加不确定和不安全，这些见解尤其重要。