Precarious work increases depression-based disability among male employees

Precarious employment is a potent occupational health risk, but little is known about its association with work-related disability and its causes. This study analyzes whether employment precariousness is associated with receiving disability pension (DP) due to depression and whether this differs according to gender.

Statistics Finland's Quality of Work Life Surveys (1997, 2003, 2008 and 2013) were merged with register-based DP data obtained from the Finnish Centre for Pensions. The survey material was used to measure employment precariousness using five variables: fear of job loss, poor employability prospects, previous unemployment, low earnings and temporary contracts. We followed 20-60-year-old employees until 2016 and studied Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs) for receiving DP among women and men, adjusting for sociodemographic covariates, working conditions and health at baseline.

The overall risk of receiving DP tended to increase as precarious job features accumulated. Among men, a higher risk of receiving DP due to depression was associated with previous unemployment [HR 2.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-4.2] and poor employability (HR 2.4, 95% CI 1.3-4.7), whereas no corresponding association was found among women.

Employment precariousness may reflect a psychological stress mechanism that predisposes the individual to mental health problems, predicting future disability. Work disability risk shows gendered differences depending on the cause of DP. Promoting employability at workplace and policy levels could offset the health risks associated with precariousness.