Abstract

Despite a number of advances, the study of precarious employment and health still remains in its infancy. Research challenges include clearer, more precise definitions, a more detailed understanding of the pathways and mechanisms through which precarious employment harms worker health, stronger information systems for monitoring the problem and a complex systems approach to employment conditions and health research. All of these must be guided by the theoretical and policy debates linking precarious employment and health, and be geared towards developing better tools for the design, implementation and evaluation of policies intended to minimise precariousness and its effects on public health and health inequalities. The aim of this presentation is to outline an agenda for the next decade of research on precarious employment and health, establishing a compelling program that expands our understanding of complex causes and links.