Mental health and precarious employment
Council addresses mental health in low-paid work
UM – 07/2023
Increased risk of poverty
Workers are poorly paid, lack social protection,
and have no prospects for the future. Precarious employment is rarely chosen
voluntarily. You cannot live off it. But not everyone has a choice. The
prevalence of precarious employment depends, among other things, on gender,
age, migration status, social class or disability. They are also often found in
work structures shaped by digitisation, such as platform work.
Are men more depressed?
It has been known for a long time: Precarious work makes people
ill. According to the "Health in Germany today” representative survey
conducted by the Robert Koch Institute in 2012, precariously employed women
reported 35 per cent more days with physical complaints than women with secure
jobs. For men, the figure is 49 per cent. The difference is even greater for
emotional complaints. Profile studies, from Korea have also indicated that the risk of developing
depressive symptoms during precarious employment is higher amongst men than
amongst women. The exact reasons are still unknown.
Spanish Presidency is committed
The EU council now wants to propose conclusions to its member
states that will focus on the psychological risks of precarious employment. A draft will be presented for discussion in order to lend weight to this
issue shortly before the council presidency baton is handed over from Sweden to
Spain. It also refers to the EC's communication about a comprehensive approach
to mental health, published on 7 June as well as the Opinion of the European Economic
Committee (EESC) of 27 April about
"Precarious work and mental health". The future Spanish Presidency of
the Council is also currently having an Exploratory opinion prepared by the EESC to explore appropriate measures that
will improve mental health.
Mental health and working time
Special
reference is made in the draft to Directive 2003/88/EU from the
European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003 about certain aspects of working time. The inclusion of mental health
aspects in the monitoring and implementing of this Directive appears to draw
attention to and place emphasis on issued related to how working time is
organised.
This is how it continues
The draft conclusions were presented on 3 July.
Proposals for amendments can be submitted until 20 July. An agreement is then
to be reached in two meetings of the Council Working Group on social issues.
Due to the summer break, this will happen by September at the earliest.