Characteristics and Socio-Demographic Distribution of Precarious Employment Among Korean Wage Workers: A Proposition of Multidimensional Approach Using a Summative Score
10.1016/j.shaw.2023.07.002
- Author:
Seong-Uk BAEK
1
;
Min-Seok KIM
;
Myeong-Hun LIM
;
Taeyeon KIM
;
Jin-Ha YOON
;
Jong-Uk WON
Author Information
1. Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Publication Type:Short Communication
- From:Safety and Health at Work
2023;14(4):476-482
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Methods:To operationalize precarious employment, we utilized data from the Korean Working Conditions Survey and focused on three distinct dimensions: employment insecurity, income inadequacy, and a lack of rights and protections. By constructing a summative scale ranging from -16 to 2, with lower scores indicating higher precariousness, we measured employment precariousness among Korean wage workers. To compare employment precariousness according to survey participant characteristics, we employed the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test.
Results:We analyzed a weighted number of 38,432 workers. The overall sample showed a median (Q1, Q3) summative scale score of -3 (-6, -1). The median summative score was lower for women compared to men (men: -2; women: -5; p < 0.001), as well as for young or older workers compared to middle-aged workers (young: -4; middle-aged: -2; older: -5; p < 0.001). Similarly, workers with lower educational levels (middle school or below: -8; high school: -5; college or above: -2; p < 0.001) and non-white collar workers (blue collar: -5; service/sales worker: -6; white collar: -2; p < 0.001) experienced higher levels of employment precariousness.
Conclusion:Our findings indicate that certain vulnerable groups, such as women, young or older adults, workers with low educational attainment, and caregiving or low-skilled elementary workers, are disproportionately exposed to high employment precariousness. Active policy interventions are needed to improve the employment quality of vulnerable groups.
