The Future of Student Work: Financial Aid, Gig Labor, and Economic Inequality

• In Event: 41021 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Roundtable 6: Labor Movements, Global Economics, and the Gig Economy

Abstract

The changing landscape of student employment presents new challenges and opportunities amid rising tuition costs, the expansion of the gig economy, and deepening economic inequality. As financial aid fails to keep pace with the increasing cost of higher education, students turn to term-time employment to cover their expenses. This study examines how financial aid policies shape student employment patterns and whether emerging labor trends, including gig work and remote employment, exacerbate economic inequality among students.

Drawing on a four-year longitudinal mixed-methods study at a large Canadian public university, this research investigates the impact of employment on student persistence, academic performance, and social integration. The findings indicate that students from lower-income backgrounds are more likely to engage in precarious, off-campus employment due to financial necessity, while their more privileged peers secure on-campus or career-aligned jobs. The study employs sociological frameworks such as Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital, Marxist critiques of labor precarity, and Weberian analyses of institutional bureaucracy to contextualize these disparities.

Results suggest that heavy work commitments (20+ hours per week) negatively impact student engagement, limiting participation in extracurricular activities, faculty interactions, and co-curricular opportunities. Furthermore, gig work, though flexible, often lacks stability, exacerbating financial insecurity and academic strain. The study underscores the need for policy interventions to expand work-study programs, increase financial aid, and ensure labor protections for student workers.

This research contributes to sociological discussions on inequality, labor precarity, and higher education by providing empirical insights into the experiences of working learners. As we reimagine the future of work, it is imperative to consider how student labor is shaped by institutional structures and economic policies, influencing broader patterns of social mobility and stratification.

Author

• Margaret de Leon, University of Toronto