Revisiting employer housing: driving forces and provision structures in the industrial society, and trends in the post-industrial society

Housing the working population is of paramount importance in regions relying on substantial human capital influx. Given the inadequacies in the supply of public housing, some governments are encouraging employer involvement in housing assistance provision. Therefore, it is meaningful to delve into the industrial society in which employer housing was prevalent and examine its evolving dynamics in the post-industrial society, which can offer valuable insights into contemporary policymaking related to employer-involved housing assistance. Informed by the welfare regime theory, this study investigates the provision structures of employer housing driven by specific forces in countries characterized by welfare capitalism (the UK, the US, and Germany) and welfare authoritarianism (the Soviet Union and China) in the industrial society, and discusses the trend in the post-industrial era. The findings indicate that employers under early welfare capitalism exercised substantial control over housing provision primarily for business purposes, whereas employer housing under welfare authoritarianism was profoundly influenced by state power, serving as a tool for state-led industrialization and socio-political governance. Transitioning into the post-industrial society, employer housing under both welfare regimes evolved towards a paradigm of welfare pluralism, with diversified housing aids provided through cooperation among various actors. This paper argues that welfare pluralism represents a more suitable idea for employers’ housing assistance in the post-industrial era, addressing the limitations associated with traditional employer housing, such as business burdens, sectoral inequality, and labor exploitation. The research findings can inform the formulation of employer-involved housing policies and contribute to the broader housing support system.