Arbeitsplatzunsicherheit als Risiko für gesundheitliche Beeinträchtigungen bei deutschen Erwerbstätigen: Eine kohortenstudie

Objective: This study investigates the relation of perceived job insecurity and self-rated health amongst German workers. Methodology: The database of the investigation was created from survey data of the Socioeconomic Panel (SOEP). The analysis considered data from the surveys in 2003, 2004 and 2006. Included were all employed persons aged 30-60 years in 2003 (n = 9 272). In order to analyse the impact of perceived job insecurity measured in 2003 on the self-rated health in 2004 (n = 8 709) and 2006 (n = 7 773) an ordinal logit-model was used. Results: Persons with high job insecurity had - after adjustment for age, gender, education and occupational status - a higher risk of adverse self-rated health both after one year (OR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.06-1.31) and three years (OR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.05-1.32). The analysis could also identify an interaction between occupational status and job insecurity. High job insecurity proved to be a health risk, particularly for persons with lower occupational status (2004: OR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.15-1.62; 2006: OR = 1.31; 95% CI: 1.09-1.57). Conclusion: The study supports the proposal that, for a cohort of German workers, perceived job insecurity increases the risk of adverse health effects amongst workers with lower occupational status.