Multiple jobs, multiple risks? Examining the health consequences of multiple job holding in China

This study investigates multiple job holding (MJH) in China, a phenomenon in which individuals hold more than one job simultaneously. While widely recognized in developed countries, MJH has not been extensively studied in China, a country with the world’s largest labor force undergoing rapid socio-economic transformations. With data from the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) 2014–2018, we assess the impacts of MJH on self-rated health, sickness and injury incidence, and mental health among Chinese workers. By proposing a contextualized enrichment-depletion model, we explored how individual, industry, and institutional-level factors jointly shape the health effects of MJH. The findings demonstrate that MJH participation significantly increased the likelihood of sickness and injury, especially for those who work extended hours. Although financial motives are related to better mental health, non-financial motives are linked to poorer self-rated health and higher sickness and injury rates. Additionally, the health effects of MJH vary across industry combinations of main and side jobs and generations. By examining MJH as a distinct employment pattern, this research provides new insights into how nonstandard employment forms shape health outcomes in China.