ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we mobilise a lexicometric analysis in order to understand when and how ‘job quality’ emerged as an integral part of the public discourse. Job quality and other similar themes emerged like ‘quality of work’, ‘decent work’ and precarisation are relatively recent topics in the literature. On the level of public policies, this vocabulary is part of a broader discourse on the problems of employment and social exclusion. We measured between 1995 and 2015 the frequency of notions, concepts and lexical expressions linked to the broader theme of employment and developed some elements of explanations linked to the socio-economical context as well as the evolution of discourse in general. We conclude our chapter with reflections about the different causes that may help us to understand why work and employment is nowadays often associated with a lack of quality, growing stress and a well-being that is under threat for a significant section of the labour force.
