Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.20867/thm.31.3.12
Precarization Among Hotel Employees: Examples from City and Coastal Hotels
Engin BAYRAKTAROGLU
orcid.org/0000-0002-9956-2593
; Dr., Associate Professor, Anadolu University, Türkiye, Department of Tourism Management
*
Baris CIVAK
; Dr., Assistant Professor Anadolu University, Türkiye, Department of Tourism Management
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Purpose – Precarization is driven by inequality and insecurity, especially in the tourism sector,
through atypical, non-standard, marginal, and unstable employment practices such as parttime positions, fixed-term contracts, short-term employment, and multiple jobs. This study
aims to analyze the precarization level of hotel employees, comparing those in city hotels with
those in coastal hotels.
Methodology/Design/Approach – For this purpose, this study used a qualitative research
approach. Face-to-face interviews with hotel employees were conducted, accompanied by
semi-structured questions. The data were subjected to content analysis, and the precarization
level of hotel employees was compared in the context of city and coastal hotels.
Findings—Employee precarization levels are defined under two main themes, working
conditions and effects of precarization, and nine sub-themes in total. The most frequently
mentioned problems are union membership and fundamental employment rights. One of the
key findings asserts that coastal hotel employees’ precarization level is higher than that of city
hotel employees.
Originality of the research – Although the literature has addressed precarious working
conditions in the tourism sector, this study, as one of the earliest studies on the topic, differs
in that it emphasizes the differences between coastal and city hotels. The study highlights the
importance of legal regulations and audit and offers new theoretical, managerial, and policy
implications regarding the structural problems in the sector.
Keywords
Labor; precariat; hotel employees; city hotels; coastal hotels; Türkiye
Hrčak ID:
336043
URI
Publication date:
29.9.2025.
Visits: 726 *