P-102 Precarious Employment and Mental Health in Korean Wage Workers: A Typological Approach

Introduction Precarious employment has been conceptualized as having a multidimensional nature, and research addressing this topic in Asian countries is scarce. This study examined the typologies of multidimensional precarious employment and their relationships with mental health. Methods From October 2020 to April 2021, the Korean Working Conditions Survey was conducted on Korean wageworkers (N=38,347), representative of the nation. With theory-based operationalization of precarious employment, we identified precarious employment typologies through latent class analysis. Logistic regression was performed to explore the association between precarious employment typologies and mental health among workers, represented as odds ratio (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs). Results Four distinct types of precarious employment 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 precarious employment, 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. Discussion Our findings accord with previous studies that indicated that employment insecurity, inadequate material rewards, and a lack of rights and protection lead to the workers’ poor mental health. Conclusion Policy interventions based on a multidimensional approach are warranted to improve employment quality.