Background: Precarious employment (PE) has been conceptualized as having a multidimensional nature, and research addressing this topic in Asian countries is scarce. This study examined the typologies of PE and their relationships with mental health among Korean workers.
Methods: From October 2020 to April 2021, the Korean Working Conditions Survey was conducted on Korean wageworkers (weighted N = 38,347), representative of the nation. With theory-based operationalization of PE, we identified typologies and classified workers through latent class analysis. Logistic regression was performed to explore the association between PE typologies and mental health among workers, represented as odds ratio (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs).
Results: Four distinct employment typologies emerged: (i) standard employment relationships (SER, 34.5%), (ii) moderate employment precariousness (MEP, 43.5%), (iii) underemployment (17.9%), and (iv) daily laborers (4.1%). Women were overrepresented in the MEP and underemployment types, while the SER type consisted of those with higher educational attainment and white-collar jobs. The OR (95% CI) of depression was 1.38 (1.27-1.50) for the MEP type, 1.48 (1.32-1.66) for the underemployment type, and 2.15 (1.85-2.51) for the daily laborers, compared to the SER type. For individual elements of PE, temporary employment, low wages, low-income predictability, and low involvement in work process were positively associated with depression, whereas part-time employment was negatively associated with depression.
Conclusion: Employment insecurity, low material rewards, and a lack of rights and protection can contribute to the poor mental health of workers. Policy interventions are warranted to mitigate inequalities in employment quality among Korean workers.
Keywords: Asia; Contingent work; Decent work; Employment condition; Employment precariousness; Employment quality; Latent class analysis; Mental health; Nonstandard employment.
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