Precarious work, precarious health: the impact of precarious employment on young adults' health and wellbeing in the UK

对于年轻人来说，过渡到高质量的工作变得越来越具有挑战性，许多人在获得高质量工作之前，会花更多的时间在低质量的入门级工作之间跳槽。之前的社会学研究已经强调，越来越多的年轻人进入了难以逃脱的不稳定工作的长期周期。从2008年的经济衰退中吸取教训，新冠肺炎疫情很可能会加剧这些趋势，通过裁员失去的高质量工作被更低质量、更不稳定的工作所取代。虽然越来越多的研究关于不稳定工作对健康的影响，但这在公共卫生领域仍然是一个研究不足的问题。这项研究将采用混合方法，重点关注年轻人在劳动力市场的经历及其对他们的健康结果和健康行为的影响。该项目将首先通过访谈和基于日记的研究方法，对居住在纽卡斯尔的18-26岁从事不稳定工作的年轻人进行定性研究，探索年轻人如何经历不稳定的工作及其对他们健康和福祉的影响。然后，该项目将使用英国家庭小组研究机构--理解社会--完成纵向数据分析。这项分析将为在这个关键年龄从事不稳定的工作如何影响未来的健康结果提供更长期的见解。该项目将为公共卫生发展新的理论贡献，并对正在进行的关于提高年轻人的工作质量和减轻新冠肺炎疫情的最坏影响的政策辩论做出有意义的贡献。

Transitioning into high-quality work has become increasingly challenging for young adults, with many spending more time moving between low-quality, 'entry-level' jobs before they are able to secure high-quality work. Previous sociological research has highlighted a growing cohort of young adults entering chronic cycles of precarious employment that are difficult to escape.Learning from the 2008 recession, it is likely that the COVID-19 pandemic will exacerbate these trends, with high-quality jobs lost through redundancies replaced with lower-quality, less secure employment. Whilst there is a growing body of research on the health impacts of precarious employment, this remains an under-researched issue in the public health field.This study will focus on young people's experiences of the labour market and the effect on their health outcomes and health behaviours, applying a mixed-methods approach. The project will first complete a qualitative study of young adults aged between 18-26-years-old living in Newcastle engaged in precarious forms of work, through interview and diary-based research methods, exploring how young adults experience precarious work and its impact on their health and wellbeing. The project will then complete longitudinal data analysis using Understanding Society, a UK household panel study. This analysis will provide longer-term insights on how exposure to precarious employment during this critical age could impact future health outcomes.The project will develop new theoretical contributions for public health and meaningfully contribute to ongoing policy debates on improving work quality for young people and mitigating the worst effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.