The economic and political ties between Africa and China have been growing since the early2000s, leading to the establishment of the for umon China-Africa Cooperation in October 2000 [1]. This for umaims to enhance infrastructure connectivity, industrialization and trade. Additionally, Gukurume & Matsika [2] argue that the relationship has deepened, with an increase in small-scale Chinese entrepreneurs investing in African countries. However, the rapid expansion of Chinese-owned businesses in Africa has raised concerns among practitioners, academics, and activists [1]. They highlight issues such as environmental and labour conditions, transparency, and the practices of Chinese corporations. Research indicates that Chinese-owned firms in various African nations, including Zimbabwe, often exhibit hazardous working environments and exploitative labour practices [1-3]. Gukurume and Matsika [2] also note a dearth of research on daily workplace interactions, management styles, and labour dynamics within these companies.

This study explores the relationship between precarious employment, job engagement, and employees' intention to quit in Chinese-owned businesses, focusing on the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. Precarious employment refers to non-standard jobs that differ from the 'Standard Employment Relationship,' which typically features full-time, stable and socially protected roles with a single employer [4]. According to Irvine and Rose [5] precarious employment includes various insecure contract types, such as casual, temporary, fixed-term, gig, zero-hours, self-employment, and freelancing. This type of work is often poorly compensated, insecure, unprotected, and inadequate for supporting a household. Job engagement reflects an individual’s emotional and cognitive connection to their work, characterized by strong commitment, enthusiasm,and deep involvement job responsibilities [14].Thus, job engagement represents a positive motivational state where individuals invest cognitive, emotional, and physical energy into their tasks.

Chinese-operated firms in Zimbabwe have been criticized for unfair labor practices, severe human rights violations, and poor safety standards. Reports of employee is treatment by Chinese employer semphasize the exploitation of local workers and the unethical conduct of these companies [6]. Chinese investors are frequently accused of subjecting employees to verbal and physical abuse while openly flouting laws. In some discussions, Chinese business activities in Zimbabwe are described as 'the darkest side of capitalism,' reflecting therise of precarious employment in these enterprises [2]. The study is structured as follows, the 'Materials and Methods' section outlines the study’s methodology, while the 'Results' section details the findings. The 'Discussion' section interprets and analyzes these results, concluding with the 'Conclusions' section.

The interpretive paradigm was used in this research study. The studys tought to explore the precarious working conditions in Chinese owned firms and develop strategies that could be used to reduce these conditions. The interpretive paradigm sought to understand the various world views that exist in organizations as it supports subjective is montology. The researchers captured different world views from the participants of the study who were from varying organisations and backgrounds hence they had different views. As the participants varied in their views of their working conditions and unstable work, subjective ontology was be used for this qualitative research. The differences were due to the different organizations they worked in, the age of participants and the educational qualifications they possessed. The interpretive is it perspective was used in this study because it supports subjectivist ontology and that it sought to unearth the various realities that exist [7] The researchers also intended to avoid bias hence the research did not solely focus on one Chinese firm but had to get participants from different Chinese owned firms.

This research was conducted using a qualitative method. Qualitative research allows the researchers to measure concepts which are rather not numerical but more of psychological in nature [8]. The qualitative approach made it possible to examine and measure the experiences of the participants, as well as the values attached to colleagues, themselves and the surroundings. Direct quotations from participants were also recorded as soon as they were available. The approach is viewed as interpretive and natural is tic, because it is able to capture reality as experienced by the respondents [9]. The approach is viewed as interpretive and naturalistic, because it is able to capture reality as experienced by the respondents. It draws interest in meanings and world views which is the sole purpose of this study. Since the research focused on exploring precarious employment in Chinese firms in the Bulawayo Metropolitan province, the qualitative approach was appropriate as it was more factual and mainly focused on the experiences of the subjects under precarious work. This study used an exploratory approach to find out what precarious forms of labour are being done in the Chinese firms.

The researchers focused on Chinese employees as they were major participants of this study as they were the ones faced with the precarious work under study. The researchers also consulted key informants who are labour law experts so as to get an insight of how the Chinese firm works. The researchers chose snowballing sampling technique to locate the Chinese employees as they operated in a closed system in the market. In this regard, the researchers had a sample size of 15 participants who were differentiated in the aspect of age, gender, length of service in organization and position held in the organization. The purpose of this study was to obtain the views of the various age groups based on their understanding of the treatment that they were receiving from the management in these firms.

The researchers then had to identify the Chinese firms that were of convenience and identify one employee through the snowball sampling technique due to the nature of the research and topic. The researchers allowed participants who preferred to write down their responses as they feared being recorded. After the procedure, the forms were to be collected for evaluation. The data was collected from employees who work in Chinese owned firms in Bulawayo and key informants as they were the relevant sources of data needed. Interviews and documents were used to collect data. After the procedure, the forms were collected for evaluation.

The data was collected from employees who work in Chinese owned firms in Bulawayo and key informants as they were the relevant sources of data needed. Interviews and documents were used to collect data. Thematic analysis was used to present the data as it was qualitative in nature. The subjective nature of the research required the view of various perspectives hence the thematic analysis approach allowed the researchers to extract direct quotations from the interview recordings so as to understand the meaning and knowledge of the particular respondent [10] The thematic analysis method is a more real is tic approach to use in qualitative data hence the Researchers chose to use it for data analysis. Content analysis was used to analyse documents.

The thematic analysis of the interview data resulted in the identification of six (6) primary themes that captured a comprehensive overview of precarious work conditions in the Chinese owned firms in the Bulawayo province. The themes that emerged comprise of the following;

1. Workplace democracy and precarious employment: This theme captures the employees’ understanding of workplace democracy, indicating that workplace democracy is where by the work environment gives the employees the room to express their opinions and views in decision making, thereby leading to a win/win situation between the employer and employee as decisions are implemented as both sides are considered.
2. Forms and Drivers of Precarious Employment in Chinese Firms: This theme highlights the various forms of precarious employment in Chinese firms, including fixed contracts, casual contracts, and short-term contracts.
3. Precarious Employment and Work Life Balance: This theme explores if work life balance exist in Bulawayo Chinese firms as there are no specific stipulated working hours for employees. Most of these Chinese firm employees no longer have work life balance due to the odd hours that they spend at work.
4. Precarious Employment and Job Engagement: This theme indicates that workers In Chinese owned firms had difficulty in becoming engaged to their jobs due to their precarious nature as well as dissatisfaction in their jobs.
5. Power and Precarious Work: This theme highlights different power dynamics that exist in Chinese owned firms. Chinese owned firms possess different power dynamics especially authoritarian ower that they use to control employees and hence this negatively affects the employees work lives.
6. Precarious Employment and Employee Retention: This theme captures the employees’ understanding of the relationship between precarious working conditions and employee retention.

The iterative process of moving between the empirical data, the emergent codes, and the aggregated themes allowed the researchers to develop a more comprehensive, grounded understanding of the, key aspects of precarious working conditions in the Chinese owned firms in the Bulawayo Province informed by the participants’ lived realities and perspectives.

Workplace Democracy and Precarious Employment

The participants understood workplace democracy as involving employees in decision-making rather than imposing commands. As one participant echoed the following sentiments; “Democracy at work can be compared with the family setup where by the parent gets to seek the opinion of the kids in decision making as they are considered as family members too.” Most participants emphasized that a democratic environment allows for shared decision-making, liken in git to a family setup where parental consultation occurs. The term" precarious employment" was explained as insecure, temporary work without contracts, with key informants noting that such employment often lacks benefits and security.

Key informants also highlighted that Chinese employers typically impose decisions without consulting employees, reflecting a lack of workplace democracy. As one participant described; “The rise of precarious employment in Chinese firms operating in Zimbabwe is alarming. Workers often lack representation and face exploitative conditions. We advocate for stronger labour laws and the establishment of democratic practices with in workplaces.”These findings are n agreement with the views of Matsika [2] who indicated that many Chinese firms in Zimbabwe operate with a top-down management approach limiting employee participation, this often leads to feelings of alienation and lack of engagement. The closed operational style of Chinese firms restricts employee participation in discussions related to their welfare, such as rewards and work-life balance [11].

Forms and Drivers of Precarious Employment in Chinese Firms

The study revealed that most participants were on fixed-term contracts, indicating non-permanent employment. Key informants noted that the economic climate drives employees to accept precarious work due to scarcity of opportunities, allowing employers to avoid the costs associated with permanent employment .As one participant lamented; “Dueto the current conomic challenges and scarcity of employment opportunity most of the employees are willing to settle even for less just to sustain themselves. The employees nowadays would take anything that comes along the way as long as it puts food on their tables hence these Chinese companies are not having challenges in recruiting temporal workers.” The researchers noted that the current turbulent Zimbabwe an economy has been another lee way that the Chinese employers have used for them to attract the employees as they are willing to settle even for less just to get something to sustain them. This issue is well documented in literature, with Carciot to and Chiko homero [1] who noted that the current economic climate drives employees to accept precarious jobs forcing them to prioritize immediate financial needs over working conditions. This situation perpetuates a cycle of exploitation, as workers remain in these roles due to job scarcity.

It also emerged from the study that the stringent Zimbabwean Labour Act on retrenchment of permanent employees’ maybe another factor that the Chinese employers are dodging to face hence they end up engaging on precarious employment. Key informant one upon responding to precarious employment and its drivers was also quoted; “Most companies nowadays, including those that are not the Chinese firms, have resorted to recruiting employees on temporal fixed termorcas ualbas is because managing a permanent employee at this day and age is rather too expensive for them hence they are cutting down on labour costs.” This implies that precarious employment is becoming the order of the day to most of the companies as they avoid long term employee benefits and liabilities. This is in line with the views of Gukurume and Matsika [2] who emphasized that several factors contribute to precarious employment in Chinese firms and the absence of formal contracts allows employers to impose unfavorable conditions without obligation. Additionally.

Precarious Employment and Work-Life Balance

Participants highlighted that in precarious employment they often face irregular and unpredictable working hours, making it difficult to plan personal activities. As one respondent noted, “Asisel a life, yikunceng is an jengoba as ila choice. (We no longer have a life; we are adhering because we have no choice.).”Participants further expressed that they felt they had no choice but to comply with demanding schedules. Key informants recognized the importance of work-life balance but noted that employees often lack the flexibility to maintain personal lives. Ben an chetal [12] emphasizes that the unpredictability in working hours leads to increased stress and difficulty in managing family responsibilities.

Precarious Employment and Job Engagement

Many participants expressed dissatisfaction with their jobs, citing the temporary nature of their contracts as a barrier to engagement. Despitere as on able to pay, the harsh treatment and work load led to feelings of discontent. As one disgruntled participant described; “Here we really work and we work hard. Even though the company maybe offering us adequate salaries still we are not satisfied, work is not all about rewards but one has to enjoy it. These managers don’t consider us as people at time, you can be shouted at for making as lightm is take, and at times some have even been fired. I can never be attached to this firm, if I could get another job somewhere I will leave this Furthermore, key informants corroborated that many workers view their positions as temporary, inhibiting job satisfaction and engagement. As one lamented; “lack of engagement from the employees is due to the fact that these Chinese firms only consider the extrinsic factor of employing employees factoring out the fact that’s one of the employees are motivated by intrinsic factors such as autonomy and favourable working conditions.” The need for employee engagement has been emphasized by of and Sarpong [3] who highlighted that while financial rewards are important, employees also seek autonomy, career development and favorable conditions to foster engagement. Zhengetal [13] further indicated that’s employers have the prerogative to recognize that satisfied employees are more likely to contribute positively to productivity.

Power and Precarious Work

Participants highlighted a power imbalance, feeling unable to influence their working conditions. They expressed frustration with the arbitrary nature of management decisions regarding schedules and pay. As one participant noted; “You just don’t have the power to control the working conditions set by the bosses as you try by all means to deliver what the managers want so as to sustain your family in this unstable economy. You just do what they want because you have no choice.”Key informants confirmed that many employees feel powerless in the seprecarious work settings because employers often hold significant power over precarious workers due to the nature of their employment. This aligns with the suggestions of and Schaefer [14] who emphasized that this power imbalance leaves workers vulnerable to exploitation and job insecurity. In addition, precarious workers frequently lack representation in labour unions or collective bargaining agreements which diminishes their bargaining power. As such, this absence of collective power makes it difficult for workers to advocate for better wages, benefits and working conditions [6].

Precarious Employment and Employee Retention

Participants reported retaining their jobs despite emotional uncertainties stemming from precarious conditions. As one participant lamented; “Graduates are many out there in the streets and are willing to take this kind of job. Although it is precarious, Kung conokul kuhl langkhaya (It’s better than sitting at home) doing nothing. ”Trust issues also emerged, as many felt their employers could terminate contracts at any time due to their lance on temporary agreements. One participant noted; ““It is what it is and nothing will change, I personally have accepted that I got a job although it is on temporal basis and that it will eventually come to an end and I will be compelled to look for another job elsewhere”” It is indicative from the findings that, this lack of security contributes to a sense of instability, prompting employees to stay in their positions despite dissatisfaction. These findings also indicate that workers in precarious positions often experience high levels of job in security which can lead to stress and decreased job satisfaction. This is in line with the views of Irvine, and Rose [5] who highlighted that the uncertainty as sociated with precarious work makes employees more likely to seek stable employment elsewhere.

This research investigated precarious employment in Chinese-owned firms in Bulawayo, revealing that many employees face significant challenges due to precarious working conditions. Factors contributing to this precarity include political and economic influences that have allowed Chinese investors to operate without adhering to local labour laws. The study confirmed that precarious work is prevalent, with employees experiencing issues such as lack of formal contracts, poor work-life balance, inadequate remuneration, and minimal involvement indecision-making processes. The absence of clear guidelines for foreign firms has led to employee exploitation, exacerbated by Zimbabwe's economic challenges, which leave workers with few options but to accept unfavorable conditions.

To address precarious employment challenges, it is essential to implement policies that promote quality employment and ensure fair labour practices. This includes revising the Zimbabwean Labour Act to provide clearer guidelines for foreign firms, particularly in employee relations. Encouraging open communication and employee involvement indecision-making can improve workplace conditions. Additionally, limiting the use of temporary contracts and ensuring that such positions transition to permanent roles after a probationary period can enhance job security. Employers should also be mandated to offer equal pay and benefits to all workers, regardless of their employment status. Strengthening collective bargaining rights for precarious workers is crucial, allowing them to negotiate better working conditions. This would require legal and political support to facilitate worker organization and collective action.

Future research should consider larger sample sizes to encompass diverse firms and employee experiences, particularly contrasting gender dynamics in precarious work. Additionally, studies focusing on strategies to mitigate the challenges faced by employees in precarious positions would provide valuable insights into improving labor conditions in these environments.

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