Forms of precarious Employment and self-rated health in Germany

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Timo-Kolja Pförtner
• Subject Area: Public Health, Healthcare Research, Social and Occupational Medicine ; Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2017 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 388147695

The relevance of precarious employment in Germany has increased since the 1990s. For public health, precarious employment has grown to a relevant social determinant of health. Despite a few studies on the association between health and precarious employment, there still is a lack of systematic research on and understanding of relations between self-rated health and different forms of precarious employment in Germany. This research is essential in times of increasing and progressing inequalities.The aim of the project is to study the association between self-rated health and precarious employment based on a theoretical fundament as well as the intermediary factors contributing to this association from a cross-sectional and longitudinal perspective. The following research questions will be addressed: 1) What is the current association between self-rated health and precarious employment in Germany and how has this association developed through time? 2) What is the causal interaction between self-rated health and precarious employment from a longitudinal perspective?3) What is the relevance of work related (physical and psychosocial) and non-work related factors (material, psychosocial, behavioral) in the explanation of the relationship between working poverty and health?4) What is the association between presenteeism and precarious employment?5) How are different courses of precarious employment in the employment history related to self-rated health? Analyzes are based on the Socio-economic Panel (SOEP) 1994-2014 and the BIBB/BAuA employment survey 2011/12. Both data sources provide detailed information on health, working poverty and the intermediate factors explaining the association between working poverty and health. In order to use all available data simultaneously in the analyses, we will conduct statistical matching that will integrate the SOEP and the employment survey from 2011. Among other, regression modeling, cross-lagged panel analysis, moderator and mediator analyses as well as sequence data analyses will be performed to answer all research question.Based on a clearly specified theoretical model, the proposed project will provide new insights on the association between self-rated health and precarious employment and key domains of intermediary factors. The project will improve our understanding of the health implications of precarious employment. It also will close the gap in research on the association between health and precarious employment, and support the growing interest in precarious employment as a determinant of health at the interface between sociology, epidemiology and public health.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants