Association Between Precarious Employment and Disability in Adults Over 50 Years of Age in Mexico

The risk of disability increases when workers perform a precarious job, in unsafe conditions and without social benefits or any type of contract. The objective of the study was to identify the relationship between exposure to unstable employment and the prevalence of disability in men and women over 50 years of age.

Secondary analysis of the 2018 round of the National Survey on Health and Aging (ENASEM). A precarious employment variable was constructed using historical information on the main job; work activities were classified as cognitive or manual. Disability was assessed by limitations in performing the basic and essential activities of daily living. Bivariate analyses and a logistic regression model were conducted and stratified by sex to assess the association between employment and disability. An interaction between precarious employment and manual labor was calculated and adjusted for schooling and economic situation.

The final sample consisted of 3480 adults over the age of 50. Fifty-eight percent of the population was classified as having had precarious employment throughout their working life. Associations were found between precarious employment and disability in women (OR 2.92, 95% CI: 1.33-18.87), as well as marginally significant associations with manual activities (OR 2.92, 95% CI: 0.99-8.59), and for the interaction between precarious employment and manual labor (OR 4.01, 95% CI: 0.96-16.61).

Disability is associated with precarious working conditions, especially in women.