5133.0: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 - 12:45 PM

Abstract #5912

Does Unstable Employment Predict Health? Marginal Employment in Germany and the United Kingdom

Eunice Rodriguez, Dr.PH, Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University, 140 MVR Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, (607) 255-2505, er23@Cornell.edu

This paper examines the possible health impact of marginal employment, including both temporary and part-time employment schemes. It addresses a growing concern in Europe that fixed-term employment and other forms of marginal employment may generate social inequality. Logistic regression models were used to analyze panel data from Germany and the U.K. (1991-93), available in the Household Panel Comparability Project data base. We included 11,980 respondents from Germany and 8,729 from the United Kingdom. The health dependent variable used was a single measure of perceived health status. Controlling for background characteristics, part-time workers with permanent contracts are not significantly different from those who are employed full-time in terms of reporting health status. In contrast, full-time employed people with fixed-term contracts in Germany are about 40 per cent more likely to report poor health than those who have permanent work contracts. Monitoring the possible health effects of the increasing number of marginal employment arrangements should be given priority on the research and political agenda.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to recognize that monitoring the possible health effects of the increasing number of marginal employment arrangements should be given priority on the research and political agend

Keywords: Labor,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA