A Systematic Review of the Relationship between Non-standard Employment and Health in South Korea

Abstract

The goal of this study is to systematically review the academic literature on the association between non-standard employment and health in South Korea. We searched online academic databases to find relevant papers in domestic and international journal by 31 December 2014 and this study reviewed a total of 37 articles. The followings are the findings of this study. First, all 37 studies have adopted quantitative methods and the most frequently used dataset was the Korean Labor & Income Panel Study (N=9). Second, the studies focused mainly on mental health (N=17) or self-rated health (N=13). Third, 31 studies controlled demographic or socio-economic indicators as potential confounders. Fourth, 35 studies reported that non-standard workers had poorer health compared to standard workers. This study suggests recommendations for future research. First, it is necessary to define non-standard employment with concrete criteria, reflecting labor market conditions in Korean society. Second, various health outcome should be examined using administrative data and medical records. Third, it is important to take account of relevant confounders in the data analysis. Finally, future research needs to consider how the health effect of non-standard employment could differ by worker’s gender, age, and industry division.