Precarious Employment: Determinants Of Health

There are several factors that affect individual’s health and one of the main determinants of health is employment. Precarious employment has changed the way work is organized in contemporary society. High income determines living conditions such as safe housing and the ability to buy healthy food. Employment has a significant effect on a person`s physical, mental and social health. Paid work provides not only money, but also a sense of identity and purpose, social contacts and opportunities for personal growth. When a person loses these benefits, the results can be devastating to both the health of the individual and his or her family. Unemployed or underemployed people have a reduced life expectancy and suffer significantly more health problems …show more content…
People working in precarious employment usually are stressed and work in unsafe conditions and are often associated with poorer health conditions. Individuals who have more control over their work circumstances and have fewer stress related demands from the job are healthier and often live longer than those in more stressful or riskier work and activities. Precarious employment not only has a direct significance to an individual’s health, but it can deeply affect the overall health of society. The relationship between health and the organization of precarious employment have direct link to how a person can be functioning member in society. This paper will compare standard employment to precarious employment and discuss the relationship between precarious employment and poor health. Discussion on the ways work is linked to health and health disparities for individuals in societies. That includes both psychological factors like the benefits of a high status job or the burden of perceived job security, as well as physical health problems a worker in precarious employment deals with. As well as examine whether the association is dependent on the outcome measure, instability of employment, and contextual