Six Employment Conditions and Health Inequalities: A Descriptive Overview

Abstract

Standard full-time permanent employment-providing a minimal degree of stability, income sustainability, workers' empowerment, and social protection-has declined in the high-income countries, while it was never the norm in the rest of the world. Consequently, work is increasingly affecting population health and health inequalities, not only as a consequence of harmful working conditions, but also because of employment conditions. Nevertheless, the health consequences of employment conditions are largely neglected in research. The authors describe five types of employment conditions that deviate from standard full-time permanent employment--precarious employment, unemployment, informal employment, forced employment or slavery, and child labor--and their health consequences, from a worldwide perspective. Despite obvious problems of measurement and international comparability, the findings show that, certainly in the low-income countries, these conditions are largely situated in informality, denying any possible standard of safety, protection, sustainability, and workers' rights. Considerable numbers of the world's working people are affected in geographically and socioeconomically unequal ways. This clearly relates nonstandard employment conditions to health equity consequences. In the future, governments and health agencies should establish more adequate surveillance systems, research programs, and policy awareness regarding the health effects of these nonstandard employment conditions.

Symptoms and risks for musculoskeletal disorders among male and female footwear industry workers

“…However, the use of tobacco is still a significant public health problem (Benach et al, 2010). In this study, a significant positive relationship between alcohol and tobacco consumption was found.…”

Associação entre estresse, riscos psicossociais e qualidade do emprego de trabalhadores assalariados chilenos: uma perspectiva de gênero

“…Por otra parte, coincidiendo con nuestros análisis, numerosos estudios han reportado asociaciones entre precariedad laboral, exposición a riesgos psicosociales laborales y desigualdades en salud, destacando, que existen numerosos mecanismos potenciales a través de los cuales diferentes tipos de estas formas de empleo pueden perjudicar la salud de los trabajadores en forma diferente 33 . Los y las trabajadoras en empleos precarios pueden sufrir efectos adversos en salud por condiciones de trabajo de más riesgo -como posturas cansadoras, ruido, movimientos repetitivos-y a la vez por factores asociados a la organización del trabajo como altas demandas o menor control sobre el proceso de trabajo, dos factores que han sido asociados con altos niveles de estrés y resultados adversos en salud.…”

Gender and age disparities in the associations of occupational factors with alcohol abuse and smoking in the French working population

“…The four occupational factors investigated were physical demands, psychological demands, job dissatisfaction, and short-term employment (including temporary job and interim work vs. permanent contract). They are commonly used in occupational epidemiology and all proved to be related to poor health [6], absence on the job, cardiovascular problems, and premature death [7,34,35]. Physical and psychological demands were addressed with these questions: ''Would you say that your work is physically exhausting?''…”

“…Drinking and smoking are socially determined behaviors that can begin during adolescence [2], but they can also be ways for coping with adverse working conditions [1,[3][4][5]. Many workers suffer from physical/psychological occupational demands, job insecurity, and job dissatisfaction and these situations have a strong influence on health [6]. Physical and psychological demands play a role in this process [7].…”