Job insecurity among Spanish salaried population: caracterization, distribution and association with health.
Author: Sergio Salas Nicás, sergi.slnc@gmail.com
Department: Pediatria, ginecologia y obstetricia, medicina preventiva i salut pública
University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
Supervisor: Albert Navarro and Salvador Moncada
Year of completion: 2018
Language of dissertation: Spanish
Keywords:
job insecurity
, work
, mental health
, sleep
Areas of Research:
Health
, Work
, Population
Abstract
Objectives:
To define and conceptualize a complex notion of job insecurity by analysing the pattern of associations between different employment domains that may be threatened by insecurity, the emotional and cognitive components of perceived insecurity and the factors associated with it. To characterize the distribution of the phenomenon among the salaried population of Spain in 2016 and to determine the possible association of insecurity with mental health, general health and sleep quality.
Methods:
All analyses are carried out on the basis of data from the third edition of the Psychosocial Risks Survey which has a sample of 1,807 workers and it is representative of the total salaried population of Spain at the end of 2016.
Results:
Perceived insecurity has two clearly differentiated components: the probabilistic and the emotional. The emotional component known as affective insecurity is distributed more transversally than the probabilistic component (i.e. cognitive insecurity) among salaried workers. All measures of affective insecurity are strongly associated with each other. In the case of cognitive measures, the risk of job loss and worsening working conditions are intensely associated with each other, but the risk of finding another job is not associated with any other insecurity. The cognitive and affective components of each insecurity domain are positively associated so that the greater the risk, the greater the concern. Insecurity measured through attributed indicators (such as type of contract, collective dismissals or unemployment) is associated with perceived insecurity of a cognitive rather than an affective type. Economic household hardship and age are risk factors for insecurity. On the other hand, exposure to perceived insecurity increases the risk of suffering from general and poor mental health, especially when it comes to cognitive insecurity and mental health. The quality of sleep, on the other hand, does not seem to be affected by perceived insecurity measures, but by economic problems and collective
dismissals.
Conclusions:
Job insecurity extends beyond the threat of losing one's job. Among other problems, it represents a risk to the health of salaried workers. Its solution requires looks and policies that take into account the complexity of the phenomenon.
