SOM warns precarious work harming mental health

A research team led by Professor Shusho Okada of the Institute of Science Tokyo concluded that while the health effects of precarious employment are complex and multi-layered, they have particularly severe consequences for mental health through identifiable mediating factors.

That study by Japanese academics for the Society of Occupational Medicine’s journal Occupational Medicine, analysed data from more than 31,000 European workers. It found that more than half (53%) attributed their mental ill health to their poor working environment and more than a third (34%) blamed it on a lack of training and/or autonomy or control over their work.

Precarious working is associated with low pay, insecure hours, and limited worker protections. It remains common within retail, hospitality and industries such as logistics, warehousing and deliveries. This is particularly the case when workers become trapped in a cycle of long-term precarious working.

This comes at a time when the government’s Employment Rights Act is set to reform zero-hours working from next year by giving workers a right to guaranteed working hours, should they want them.

Among the UK workers analysed, for example, as many of 44% remained in precarious work for more than four years, with younger workers especially at risk.

Workers in highly precarious jobs took more time off sick and were generally less active than those in more secure employment, the researchers found.

Precarious workers also reported being less able to take part in social activities, often because of work-related demands, and that managing their day-to-day finances was a constant struggle. Their workplaces were generally less supportive, they did not get enough training (or use what skills they had), and they often reported feeling isolated.

“Precarious workers frequently experience marginalisation in the workplace, marked by unpleasant tasks, insufficient training, limited access to professional development opportunities, and exclusion from information networks and decision-making processes,” the research team concluded.

Such workers commonly experienced “heightened emotional stress and depressive symptoms” stemming from a combination of their chronic employment insecurity, income instability, and reduced capacity to maintain their health and overall wellbeing.

“Additionally, financial strain, temporal uncertainty, marginal status, and employment insecurity have been identified as key contributors to poor mental health among precarious workers. Furthermore, poor sleep quality partially mediates the relationship between precarious employment and mental health,” the researchers argued.

SOM president professor Neil Greenberg said: “This research shows the government’s reforms next year to zero-hours contracts under the Employment Rights Act cannot come soon enough.

“Yet, even with these changes, too many people are still falling into potentially exploitative precarious and gig economy working, especially younger workers. As this study shows, not only is insecure, precarious working damaging to financial health, it directly affects mental health and wellbeing as well as compounding social isolation and exclusion,” he added.

The full study is available in SOM’s Occupational Medicine journal for those interested in the detailed findings.